I saw him staggering when he walked past me down the aisle, but I thought he was just struggling to maintain his balance due to some mild turbulence. 

However, shortly thereafter, two ladies across the aisle just behind me started hollering for help.  When I turned around, I saw the man slumped over on top of them.

Good Samaritans act to help a complete stranger in an emergency

My wife said, “Help them!” and I immediately stood up and grabbed the unconscious man under his arms to pull him off the ladies.  When I first saw his face, I thought he was dead.  His eyes and mouth were open, but he was obviously unresponsive.

We laid him in the aisle and then more competent passengers took over caring for this man.  It was very impressive how fast people responded to the situation.

One gentleman cradled the man’s head in his lap and checked for respiration.  Fortunately, the passed out man was breathing steadily and had a normal pulse.  A nurse onboard soon took his blood pressure which turned out to be very low.  This was likely the cause of his fainting.

By this time, the man was awake and responding to questions although still very disoriented.  The flight crew had a doctor on the phone which determined the situation was non-critical so our plane continued to Houston with priority routing to expedite our arrival.

The selfless acts of these first responders was impressive!

It was amazing to me to witness the quick and competent response of the other passengers on the plane to this emergency.  There truly are a lot of good people left in this world.  We don’t hear enough about them, but they do exist!

These other passengers did not pause to contemplate what it might mean to get involved.  They simply did what came natural.  They cared for another human being when it was needed the most.

This situation just proves that you never know when you are going to be in need of assistance.  You can’t predict the kind of emergency you might encounter or where it will happen.

Good Samaritans made me think of the passengers on Flight 93

After this minor emergency was under control, I couldn’t help but think of the way the passengers handled the situation onboard United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11.  It is often regular citizens that are the heroes when tragedy strikes.

I believe it was the same character qualities I witnessed in the Good Samaritans on my flight that jump-started the passengers on Flight 93 into action on that fateful September morning.

The people on Flight 93 took action when action was needed.  They gave everything they had to save the lives of others and to disrupt the terrorists.

The lesson these Good Samaritans hammered home to me

I have witnessed several emergencies where the actions of regular, everyday people made a tremendous difference. 

I saw it in 1995 after the bombing of the Murrah Building here in Oklahoma City.  I saw it again in 1999 after the F-5 tornado that destroyed my home.  We all witnessed it in 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11. 

When disaster strikes, we cannot wait for the government or other officials to take care of us.  Regular citizens have to take responsibility and step up to help one another. 

It doesn’t matter the cause of the emergency.  It could be another terrorist attack, a natural disaster or an economic crisis.  Regardless of the cause, regular people that selflessly give to help others will be a big part of the recovery. 

My hat is off to the Good Samaritans of the world!  Thank you for your service and compassion.

Where have you seen the acts of Good Samaritans make a difference?

Photo by Jan Tik