Woman's eyelid badly cut after gift box falls from overhead compartment on 6-hour Scoot flight to S'pore

A 43-year-old woman was struck in the eye by a gift box that fell from the overhead compartment during a six-hour flight from Qingdao, China, to Singapore.

The mishap left her with a 4cm cut and a swollen eyelid.

She had to put up with the pain until the plane landed.

Now, close to two months after the incident, she's left holding the bag after the passenger who opened the compartment denied responsibility, and the airline has said it was a passenger who caused the injury.

Male passenger opened compartment

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, Dong Mingming (transliteration), 43, boarded Scoot flight TR187 from Qingdao, China, to Singapore on Nov. 5.

She sat in seat 13B, which was the middle seat.

30 minutes after take-off, she removed her spectacles and shut her eyes to get some rest.

At the same time, a male passenger got up from his seat and opened the overhead compartment above Dong.

The next thing she knew, she felt a heavy object strike her right eyelid.

"I felt a sharp pain at the time and my eyes couldn't open. My vision was also blurred," Dong recalled.

A cabin crew member offered her ice and alcohol swabs upon seeing her bleeding eyelid.

She later found out that she was struck by a gift box.

"As the injury was to my eye, I did not dare move too much," she said.

Put up with pain throughout flight

Throughout the flight, Dong put up with the pain.

Her eyelid eventually became swollen and started twitching. She also grew dizzy.

After the flight landed at Changi Airport at 3:15 pm, Dong rushed to Singapore General Hospital to receive treatment.

There, doctors discovered a 4cm cut across her eyelid.

She was given three days of sick leave.

A week later, she was given an extra two days of sick leave as the pain from her wounds had caused migraines and kept her awake.

Male passenger denied being responsible

According to Dong, after the mishap, a cabin crew member told her that she should speak to the male passenger to find a resolution.

However, they could not provide her with his particulars due to privacy.

"The male passenger did apologise to me. He said that the gift box was not his, and he did not touch it when he was retrieving his luggage," Dong said.

The passenger had a Hong Kong passport and resided in Australia. He was only transiting through Singapore, Dong pointed out.

The man insisted that it was the cabin crew who did not properly check on the luggage, and denied being responsible, Shin Min reported.

"I sought compensation for my medical fees and absence pay from the male passenger. I also provided him with the relevant details. He said he needed to check before getting back to me. Since then, I haven't heard back," Dong shared.

Dong has since spoken to a lawyer, who said the responsibility lies with the passenger. However, he told her that it would be difficult to pursue legal recourse since the incident took place during a flight and the passenger in question was a foreigner.

It's been two months after the incident, but Dong shared that the scar is still faintly visible.

The doctors have also told her it will likely stay that way.

"I'm distraught and at a loss," Dong lamented.

Scoot says it provided assistance

Scoot had also informed Dong via email that the airline cannot provide any compensation as the injury was caused by another passenger.

Responding to queries from Shin Min, a Scoot spokesperson shared that it was aware of the incident and that its staff had provided assistance to the passenger by alerting medical staff on the ground.

The spokesperson emphasised that the well-being and safety of its passengers and crew is a priority.

When needed, the airline will provide affected passengers with the necessary assistance.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News, Canva