Sydney Weston was pronounced dead after becoming unresponsive on a flight on Thursday (Picture: Facebook)
An 8-year-old girl suffered a medical emergency on a flight while on vacation with her family and died.
Sydney Weston was on SkyWest Flight 5121 operated with United Airlines, from Joplin, Missouri, to Chicago when she became unresponsive.
About 45 minutes into the flight that departed at 5.51am, according to FlightAware, the plane landed unexpectedly at the General Wayne A Downing Peoria International Airport in Illinois.
Deputies arrived at the scene around 7am on Thursday after receiving communications of a medical emergency, according to the Preoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Sydney Weston (left) was on the flight with her parent and older brother (Picture: Facebook)
‘When the plane landed Deputies, AMT Personnel, and Air National Guard Fire personnel immediately received the 8-year-old female child and began life-saving measures,’ wrote the sheriff’s office on Facebook.
Sydney was rushed to OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center ‘where she was unfortunately pronounced deceased’, stated the sheriff’s office.
Doctors administered aggressive resuscitative efforts that failed to revive her.
‘Please keep the child’s family and everyone who was involved in this traumatic experience in your thoughts and prayers,’ wrote the sheriff’s office.
Sydney Weston was pronounced dead at a hospital after an emergency landing (Picture: Facebook)
It was not immediately known what medical episode and condition Sydney suffered.
The Peoria County Coroner’s Office stated that Sydney, of Carl Junction, Missouri, died at 8.05am and ‘was traveling with her family for vacation when she suddenly became ill and then unresponsive in flight’.
‘Her family immediately notified the flight personnel of her condition, and they began rapidly rendering aid,’ stated the coroner’s office. ‘Upon landing in Peoria, she was not breathing and had no pulse.’
Her autopsy was scheduled for Friday.
She was traveling with her parents, Dan and Whitney Weston, and her older brother, Evan, reported the Daily Mail.
SkyWest stated that the forced landing was due to ‘medical distress’.
‘We appreciate the efforts of our crewmembers who responded quickly to assist and the medical personnel who met the aircraft,’ the airline told the New York Post.
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