Qatar Airways passenger almost lost his leg after spider bite

Jonathan Hogg, a barrister in London is contemplating legal action against Qatar Airways after claims he was bitten by a deadly spider on a flight, leaving him with months of recovery.
 “I was struggling to get comfortable during the journey and crossed my legs to get into a better position when I felt a small, sharp pain radiating in my left leg,” he told The Guardian.
The venomous spider bite burst his leg open, forcing doctors to cut a part of his leg off. He continues to receive treatment for the near-fatal attack and said he may need another operation.Hogg was traveling to South Africa to dive with sharks after wrapping up work at an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, for which he had taken five months off from work.
The 40-year-old was six hours into the flight to Cape Town, South Africa when his ordeal began.
“I turned on the light and clearly saw a spider running across the floor before hearing two stewardesses screaming ‘Spider’, but I wasn’t sure if I had been bitten as it really wasn’t very painful,” he told the paper. It wasn’t until a few hours later that an immense pain struck him.
At first, Hogg took painkillers for quick relief but soon his leg turned gruesome, swelling up into something that still traumatizes him. “By the time I got to hospital my leg was bursting open, there was pus, it was black,” he said. The bite, which doctors said came from a brown recluse spider, could have been potentially fatal. “It was a right mess. They told me if I had been any later I would have lost my leg or even died. It was terrifying,” Hogg said.
Instead of spending his vacation with sharks, Hogg was in a South Africa hospital for a month, where he underwent three operations and a skin graft. Doctors cut a portion of his shin in order to save his leg.
“When I realized the extent of my injuries I realized I was just lucky to still have my leg – even if the sight of my leg shocked me when I finally saw it,” he added.
However, Hogg’s doctors said he may need another operation as the skin graft was not entirely successful.
“All this has left me very traumatized but determined to seek justice. No one should have to go through what I have and if the airline has made a mistake it should take responsibility,” Hogg told the paper.
Meanwhile, the airline has said the only time it heard about Hogg or the alleged incident was a week after the travel via its website, according to a statement given to The Guardian.
“No report was filed with any staff on board regarding this incident. We have also not been advised of any legal proceedings regarding this incident,” the airline said, adding they could not comment further but will investigate the matter.