My mother’s morale is at a worrisome level – Son of woman who had leg amputated after mangled by airport travelator

The son of a woman, 57, who had her leg mangled in an airport travelator has spoken about his mum’s horrendous ordeal and described seeing medics “carry her foot out in a box”. According to him, the mum’s morale is at a worrisome level.

His mother was travelling on a domestic flight from the Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, to Nakhon Si Thammarat province, when she became tangled in a pink suitcase and fell onto the moving walkway. 

ValidViewNetwork had earlier reported that the 57-year-old had her leg amputated at the scene in order to free her from the travelator before she was carried out on a stretcher – with her foot in a foam box loaded into the ambulance.

Surgeons at the city’s Bumrungrad International Hospital have reattached the limb but said she was unlikely to ever be able to recover the use of her left leg while her family is now consulting doctors before deciding how to proceed with surgery.

Kittira, the injured woman’s son Kittirat has slammed the airport for allegedly refusing to hand over CCTV of the accident. He said the incident had been ‘heart-wrenching’ for the family, who were worried for his mother’s mental state.

In his words: “I felt like a child especially when I first met my mother after the incident. The officers were holding a foam box containing her leg as they were getting out of the ambulance. It was separate from my mother sitting on the wheelchair. It’s a feeling I can’t really explain.

“My mother’s morale is at a worrisome level. We had the opportunity to talk to her a little before and after the surgery as she was still staying in a clean room. She showed strength in both her facial expressions and tone, but we knew deep down in her heart that she was broken because she suddenly lost her leg.

The airport has said it will take care of “medical expenses and compensation”

“What I have to admit that my family’s biggest concern at this time is my mother’s state of mind and my mother’s long-term condition. We know that we can’t get my mother’s legs back on track, or even get her life back on track. The family has asked the doctor to consider arranging a psychologist team to help treat my mother [and] process what’s happening.

“My mother cried, not because of the pain, but because she couldn’t imagine life with one leg. Therefore, we avoid talking about the incident at Don Mueang Airport with her as much as possible and leave it to the airport stakeholders to investigate the cause. The family hopes the probe will be transparent and fair.

“The family is still praying for my mum’s surgery. We hope there are no signs of infection, and that it would be her last operation.”

Speaking at a press conference, Karan Tanakuljirapat, director of the Don Mueang Airport, has ordered the travelators to be closed as engineers investigate the cause of the accident.

ValidViewNetwork had earlier reported that the airport’s walkways were installed by Japanese company Hitachi Co in 1996 and were maintained by its local subsidiary. According to Karan, the walkways were maintained regularly, and they were scheduled to be replaced with newer models in 2025.

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In a statement, the Don Mueang Airport said: “The director of Don Mueang Airport and management has visited the patient to follow up on the treatment and received information from the medical team at Bhumibol Hospital that she is currently in the process of receiving treatment from the medical team.

“Don Mueang Airport is deeply saddened by the incident and ready to fully accept the responsibility as well as take care of the medical expenses and compensation.”