Airport Baggage Handler Killed When Her Hair Got Caught In A Belt Loader

A baggage handler at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was killed in an industrial accident on Tuesday (August 30) night.

Detective Brandon Veal, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, told Nola.com that 26-year-old Jermani Thompson was unloading luggage from a Frontier Airlines flight when her hair got stuck in a belt loader. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries.

Frontier canceled one flight on Wednesday morning following the tragic accident. No other flights at the airport were impacted.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office is awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine her cause of death.

"We are deeply saddened about the tragic loss of GAT Airline Ground Support team member, Jermani Thompson. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport extends its sincere condolences to her family and friends and also to our partners at GAT and Frontier Airlines. Jermani was a part of our Airport family, and we will continue to support one another in any way we can during this trying time," Kevin Dolliole, Director of Aviation for the airport, said in a statement to WDSU.