British Airways steward bitten by spider on flight wins £13,000 in damages

Treatment: Terry O’Driscoll feared he would lose his hand after bite in the crew rest area
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A British Airways steward who feared he would lose his hand after being bitten by a venomous spider during a flight has won £13,000 in damages.

Flight attendant Terry O’Driscoll was “nipped” on the left forefinger while relaxing in the crew rest area on a flight from Heathrow to the US in May 2013.

Although the arachnid responsible was never identified, an expert said the brown recluse spider, a poisonous American native, was a likely culprit.

Mr O’Driscoll, 50, said he was leaving his bunk on the BA jet going to Denver, Colorado, when he “felt a nip”.

Treatment: Terry O’Driscoll feared he would lose his hand after bite in the crew rest area

At first, he barely noticed it because it was “quite small” and did not mention it to anyone, he told Central London county court. However, he became concerned when his finger became “increasingly sore” several days later.

Mr O’Driscoll had intensive treatment to fight the infection and ultimately save his hand at a hospital near his home in Cork. He sued BA for damages for failing to keep safe his place of work. The airline fought the case, arguing that Mr O’Driscoll could have suffered the bite anywhere, and that if it had been during a flight, bugs are carried on to planes unwittingly by passengers and crew, and “could not have been foreseen”.

Ruling in Mr O’Driscoll’s favour, Judge Susan Jackson said BA’s campaign against on-board insects had largely focused on bed bugs, and it had failed to prevent bugs getting into the crew’s bunk area. A BA spokesman said it was reviewing the judgment, adding that aircraft are regularly checked and “we always ensure our crew are able to rest in a safe and clean environment”.

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