- A passenger was stung by a scorpion on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Atlanta on Thursday, the airline confirmed to Insider in a statement via email.
- TMZ shared a photo of a scorpion in a United Airlines-branded cardboard box on Friday, reporting that the passenger felt a stinging sensation on her leg.
- The passenger then went to the restroom, where the scorpion reportedly fell out of her pant leg and was later caught by flight attendants.
- "After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance," A United Airlines spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
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A woman was stung by a scorpion while traveling from San Francisco to Atlanta on a United Airlines flight on Thursday, as reported by TIME.
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the incident with Insider in a statement via email, writing that the passenger who was stung received medical attention upon landing and is in good condition.
"After learning that one of our customers on flight 1554 from San Francisco to Atlanta was stung during flight, our crew responded immediately and consulted with a MedLink physician on the ground who provided medical guidance," the statement read. "Upon landing in Atlanta, the flight was met by medical personnel and the customer was transported to a local hospital. We have been in contact with our customer to ensure her wellbeing."
United Airlines was not able to provide information as to how the scorpion may have gotten onto the airplane in the first place.
On Friday, TMZ reported that the passenger who was stung by the scorpion first felt a stinging sensation on her leg, then went to the restroom, where the scorpion reportedly fell out of her pant leg and was caught by flight attendants.
It's not the first time a scorpion has ended up on an airplane
Scorpions — arachnids that are most commonly found in deserts — have disrupted a number of flights in the past.
In February, a woman was stung by a scorpion while on an Air Transat flight from Toronto to Calgary. The passenger felt a "piercing" sensation on her lower back, then spotted the scorpion in the fold of the back of the plane seat, according to CBC. The flight attendant initially tried to tell the passenger that the scorpion was a gum wrapper.
In September 2017, an American Airlines flight from Sacramento to Chicago was grounded after a scorpion was found on the flight (though it did not sting any passengers). On a United Airlines flight in April 2017 from Houston to Calgary, a scorpion reportedly fell from an overhead bin and one passenger was stung.
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