Death and travel

Two remarkable stories crossed the wire at virtually the same time yesterday, and both serve as reminders that travel remains a risky proposition, no matter where you go or who you are.

From time to time you read an offbeat article about a passenger expiring on a plane. But rarely is it the pilot’s turn (unless it’s in the movies, where pilots get shot, poisoned or bitten by venomous snakes with alarming regularity).

But that’s exactly what happened on a Continental Airlines from Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Details remain sketchy, but it appears as if the pilot suffered from what’s being referred to as a “serious medical problem,” forcing the co-pilot to make an emergency landing. He later died.

There are also a fair number of “falling-out-of-a-hotel” stories. Guests routinely take the plunge — so routinely that it’s almost a travel journalism cliche.

But here’s the “man-bites-dog” twist: What happens when someone jumps, or falls, and should have died, but doesn’t?

That’s what everyone must be wondering after Joshua S. Hanson of Blair, Wis., crashed through a double-paned hallway window at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Minneapolis and fell 16 stories early Saturday morning.

Apparently an overhang broke Hanson’s fall. And although he suffered multiple injuries, including a broken leg, he’ll survive.

These amazing stories are a wake-up call for those of us who think travel can be made safe and predictable. It is, in fact, often hazardous, unpredictable — and very, very interesting.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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