Gatwick baggage handler seriously injured after plane 'runs over' him

Man suffers 'serious lower limb injury'

Passengers aboard the Rossiya Airlines plane preparing for takeoff said the emergency services descended onto the airfield and they were told a person had been 'run over' (Flora Lu/Twitter)

An airline baggage handler has suffered serious leg injuries after he was run over by an aeroplane at Gatwick Airport.

Ambulances and fire engines descended on the apron on Wednesday afternoon and passengers aboard a Rossiya Airlines aircraft preparing for takeoff were told a person had been “run over”.

The man was reportedly trapped under a wheel and the emergency services had to free him before flying him to hospital in Tooting.

A Gatwick spokesperson confirmed the incident took place on its airfield shortly after 5pm, adding the man was an employee of baggage handling company Dnata.

A South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “I can confirm that we were called at 5.18pm today to Gatwick Airport.

“The patient, an adult male, had suffered a serious lower limb injury and, after treatment by our crews at the scene, was transported by air ambulance to St George’s Hospital at Tooting.”

A spokesperson for Dnata said and employee was “injured following an incident on the airfield at Gatwick Airport and emergency services attended the scene".

The company said it was working closely with the airport and emergency services.

Flora Lu, a passenger on board the Russian plane, said in a Twitter post: “We have been told that our plane ran over a person at takeoff from Gatwick to St Petersburg. They were trying to lift the plane. Anyone knows what happened?”

In a later tweet, she said: “All police, ambulance and fire brigades left. Few more airport service vehicles arrived. Cabin crew just confirmed our plane ran over the foot of ground grew member. Hope he’ll be ok. Waiting for extra plane 'parts' as the plane is not operational now.”