Chinese passenger pricked by stray needle on flight gets depression, seeks compensation
Insulin syringe needle left in seat pocket of airliner jabs man’s finger, leaves him with debilitating anxiety over contraction of infectious diseases
A man in China who was pricked by a left-behind needle on a flight is demanding 130,000 yuan (US$18,000) in compensation for depression caused by his resultant fear of infections.
According to the mainland media outlet Jimu News, the man surnamed Fu was pricked by a syringe needle on a China Southern Airlines flight while retrieving his phone from the seat pocket.
Fu recalled feeling a sharp sting in his finger and discovering a needle stuck to it, which he suspected was from an insulin syringe.
The flight attendants disinfected his finger and reported the incident to the ground company.
It was later confirmed that the needle had been left behind by a passenger on a previous flight.
After landing, the airline offered Fu 1,800 yuan (US$250) for his ticket and an additional 1,000 yuan for the incident. However, Fu rejected the offer, deeming it insufficient.