• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Nurse couple save man’s life after his heart suddenly stopped mid-flight

Home> News

Published 21:16 7 Jun 2023 GMT+1

Nurse couple save man’s life after his heart suddenly stopped mid-flight

The couple were flying back from a vacation when they were called into action

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

Two qualified nurses saved another passengers life after his heart stopped while the plane was in the air.

It's a moment that's almost become a cliché, the call from flight attendants asking if there's a doctor on the plane.

Fortunately for the passenger on Southwest Flight 553 on 1 May, there were two people with medical experience on board on that day.

Emily Raines and Daniel Shifflett were returning from a holiday.
WJZ CBS Baltimore

Advert

Emily Raines, 31, and Daniel Shifflett, 28, were travelling on the flight.

Both Emily and Daniel are qualified nurses, with Daniel having worked as a nurse for five years before he switched careers to work in finance.

And Emily has worked as a nurse for ten years at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

They were on the flight when the call went out, as Daniel said: "We just kind of looked at each other."

Advert

The pair then leapt into action and told people that they both had medical training.

“I could hear the panic in the flight attendant’s voice," Daniel told the Washington Post.

A flight attendant then led the couple to a passenger who had slumped over in his seat as another flight attendant was attempting to carry out chest compressions.

The man's face had turned a purple colour and he didn't have a pulse.

Advert

He had fallen unconscious about halfway through the three hour flight.

Daniel explained to them: "You need to be on a flat surface. Otherwise, the compressions aren’t going to do anything.”

It was the first time either of them had responded to an emergency on a plane.
Pixabay

They immediately moved the man onto the floor in the aisle so that they could carry out chest compressions.

Advert

Daniel said: “It was difficult to do, because we were in the middle of a plane aisle, which is very thin,”

After 'about 15 minutes, they were able to 'get his heartbeat back' before the plane was about to make an emergency landing.

Emily said: “Not a lot of times when you give CPR or have situations like this do patients truly make it. It doesn’t happen often.”

The passenger was rushed to hospital once on the ground and they remained in touch with the man, who is doing 'remarkably well', and his family after the incident.

Advert

His wife told them in a message afterwards: "We are still not completely sure what happened. He didn't have a heart attack.

"Obviously, his heart stopped, but they believe multiple factors played a roll. Mostly, it was due to low oxygen levels.

"I cannot possibly thank you enough for saving his life. There are no words."

The young couple had been retuning from a cruise in the Bahamas and had tried to change their flight earlier, but it had been too expensive.

They have since said they were glad they remained on their original flight.

Emily said: "It’s not every day that these things happen. I’m really glad we were able to be there to help.”

Featured Image Credit: WJZ CBS Baltimore

Topics: Travel, News, US News

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined Tyla as a community journalist in 2023. They previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, The Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

18 mins ago
24 mins ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • x/@WhiteHousex/@WhiteHouse
    18 mins ago

    White House leaves people shocked after fake 'Labubu' post sparks one big question

    The official White House's X account shared a cartoon version of allegedly convicted sex offender

    News
  • ESPNESPN
    24 mins ago

    US Open fan praised for 'smart decision' after Phillies woman 'stole' boy's ball

    Sports fans have been praising this US Open fan for behaving the 'correct' way in the crowd

    News
  • Getty Stock ImageGetty Stock Image
    2 hours ago

    Woman hospitalised after drinking matcha once a week as health experts reveal unexpected side effect

    Lynn Shazeen, from South Carolina, claims her 'matcha obsession' sent her to the hospital

    News
  • Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesNathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Donald Trump sparks outrage as people accuse him of 'downplaying domestic violence'

    The US President described domestic violence as a 'little fight with the wife'

    News
  • Couple share heart-wrenching details after being forced to sit next to dead body during flight
  • Man sentenced to prison after faking his own death to start new life with mistress
  • Officials 'don't know if there are survivors' as American Airlines flight crashes into helicopter and 'splits in half' mid-air
  • Travis Kelce's dad reveals new details about Taylor Swift engagement after couple break the internet