On a SkyWest Airlines flight to Chicago, an eight-year-old girl suddenly got unwell and unconscious; despite the medics’ “aggressive resuscitation efforts” upon landing, the girl died.
Officials said that Sydney Weston, of Carl Junction, Missouri, experienced a medical issue while traveling from Joplin with her family. As a result, the flight was redirected to land in Peoria, Illinois.
According to a recent statement from the Peoria County Coroner’s Office, flight attendants started “rapidly rendering aid.”
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Just 71 minutes after takeoff, the diverted aircraft made an emergency landing at General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport on Thursday morning at 7:02 a.m.
According to a statement from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, medical personnel started “life-saving measures” as soon as the jet touched down.
Image: Fox 59
According to the coroner’s office, “she was not breathing and had no pulse upon landing in Peoria.”
The girl was taken from the airport to the seven-mile-distance OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center.
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In a statement, the coroner’s office stated, “She was pronounced deceased at 8:05 am this morning despite aggressive resuscitation efforts.”
FlightAware data indicates that United Airlines contracted SkyWest to charter United flight 5121.
A SkyWest representative told the New York Post, “We appreciate the efforts of our crewmembers who responded quickly to assist and the medical personnel who met the aircraft.”
The coroner’s office reports that Weston will undergo an autopsy on Friday, and that initial results will be made public after the procedure is finished.
To “take some of the weight off their shoulders,” the Weston family has been receiving meals organized by the local community, according to the page administrator.
The sheriff’s office asked that people “keep the child’s family and everyone who was involved in this traumatic experience in your thoughts and prayers.”
Days have passed since the little girl’s death in midair, the death of another American.
On a Fiji Airways aircraft from Nadi, Fiji, Raiznal Farzad Khalik, 41, “encountered a medical condition” on Saturday night, only 90 minutes from the airstrips at San Francisco International Airport.
Khalik was recognized by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office and declared deceased.
“Unfortunately, the passenger passed away despite the best efforts of our cabin crew and an onboard doctor who provided immediate assistance,” a statement from Fiji Airways read.
The airline continued, “We applaud our cabin crew and the assisting doctor for their prompt and professional response to this emergency.”