… complains of still being in pain
“I AM in pain and just want to go home to my own hospital and doctors in Canada,” said Davanan Sukhram, a Canadian citizen and passenger onboard the Fly Jamaica plane which crash-landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Friday.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, Sukhram, who usually uses the Fly Jamaica airline to visit Guyana while on vacation, said he did not know that the company had only one airline in operation.
The 55-year-old man lamented the fact that the airline has everyone contact details and many persons are yet to be contacted to know if they will be placed on another flight, or what they should do following the crash.
“They have not contacted me, they have my Canadian number and Guyana number; this is frustrating. I am in a lot of pain and I just want to get out of here and see my own hospital and doctors in Canada; if necessary I’ll buy my own ticket and leave as soon as I can,” Sukhram, in pain, repeated.
According to him, since the crash, he has been experiencing pain in the neck, head, ribs and back.
“Many people were screaming in pain when this thing happened…. I intend to follow up with the company on compensation measures and I’ll also be speaking to my travel agent,” he said.
He explained that his four weeks’ vacation was over as he decided to leave Guyana when the accident occurred.
This aside, the Canadian citizen said on Saturday he had sent someone to collect his luggage at the airport and the news was unpleasant.
“The airline should have contacted me and let me know what is going on; now I learned that my duty-free bag with my pouch with jewellery I bought and $US and Canadian currency have not been found,” he disclosed.
Officials, he said, informed his relatives that they will be investigating his complaint and give a feedback when possible.
Following the accident, passengers have raised several questions regarding accommodation, refunds, not being contacted by Fly Jamaica, compensation and lack of arrangement in the event of a mishap.
When these matters were relayed to Fly Jamaica spokesman Carl Bowen, he requested the questions be emailed to him and noted a response will be provided to the media.
Bowen also said that a system is being used to deal with the situation.
As investigations continue, the site is being secured by 12 ranks from the Guyana Defence Force and nine from the Guyana Police Force.
Fly Jamaica Flight No OJ 256 departed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at 02:10hrs on Friday. At 02:21hrs, the pilot declared an emergency and requested to return. The flight landed at 02:53hrs; it landed on the extended runway and skidded off to a stop near the same location where Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 overran the runway on July 30, 2011.
On board were 120 passengers and eight crew members (six Guyanese, two Jamaicans). There were 35 Guyanese, one Trinidadian, 82 Canadians, one Pakistani and 11 American citizens onboard. There were no broken bones or other serious injuries reported; however, six passengers suffered minor injuries due to the impact to the back of the aircraft. They were rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Fly Jamaica has arranged for some passengers to travel to their original destinations via Caribbean Airlines on Saturday, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said on Friday.
