Woman Vs Scorpion - It was supposed to be a normal flight for an Alaska Airlines plane until a poisonous lobster-like arachnid stung a female passenger.
According to airline officials, the Alaska Airlines flight that was headed to Portland was asked to return to the Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night after a woman was stung by a scorpion, Yahoo! News has learned.
The airlines spokesman, Cole Cosgrove, said that the woman was stung in the arm and medical personnel quickly responded to the emergency situation.
Flight attendants reportedly killed the arachnid immediately after they learned about the medical emergency. They also searched for "any additional, unwanted arachnids" in the overhead compartments of the plane, according to USA Today.
Cosgrove added that the female passenger refused to reveal her identity and receive additional medical treatment from medical personnel.
Cosgrove also confirmed that members of Oregon State University's men's basketball team and Portland University's women's basketball team were on board the said flight, reports The Guardian.
Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle even revealed to ESPN that the woman who was stung by the scorpion was sitting two rows in front of him.
"The plane was coming from Mexico before us, and (the scorpion) was on the plane," Tinkle said. "The woman was a real champ. She acted like it was a mosquito bite. They got it off her, but the needle was stuck."
Following the emergency situation, the Alaska Airlines plane managed to take off at around 8:40 p.m. that night. And though it was 50 minutes behind schedule, it managed to land safely in Portland.
Officials have yet to identify how the scorpion got into the plane since it is usually found in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Scorpions possess venom that are said to be very damaging to the human body. Nevertheless, the arachnid's poison is currently being tested for treatment of cancer and other illnesses.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
