'I almost lost my leg after flesh eating spider bite on plane'

The UK man was bitten by a brown recluse spider on a plane to South Africa. Photo / iStock

A UK barrister has told how his leg 'burst open' after he was bitten by a deadly spider during a flight.

Jonathon Hogg's leg ballooned minutes after he felt a sharp pain on the plane to South Africa.

By the time he reached hospital it had turned black and to save the limb surgeons had to cut away a large part of his leg where the venom had eaten the flesh. He was left with a gaping hole on the front of his shin.

"The pain was like nothing I've been through in my life," said Mr Hogg, 40, who is now taking legal action against the airline.

"By the time I got to hospital my leg was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. 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."

Mr Hogg, a qualified barrister who now works as legal director at a tech firm, had taken five months off work to go travelling. He was on his way from Qatar to South Africa in June when the incident happened.

Six hours into a ten-hour flight from Doha to Cape Town he felt a pain in his leg before spotting a spider running across the floor.

Mr Hogg, from Camden, north London, said: "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."

The leg began to swell and he went to hospital the next day, where doctors said he had been bitten by a brown recluse spider.

After an operation to remove the dead flesh, Mr Hogg was horrified to see the damage.
He added: "However, when I realised the extent of my injuries I realised I was just lucky to still have my leg."

Mr Hogg spent a month in hospital in South Africa, undergoing three operations and a skin graft from his thigh. Three months later he is still receiving treatment.

The keen footballer and kickboxer is now terrified of flying and fears he will never play sport again. He is now taking legal action against Qatar Airways.

A spokesman for the airline said: "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."

Recluse that can be a killer

Brown recluse spiders, which have a dark violin-shaped mark on their backs, are found mainly in the US. Due to the marking they are also known as the fiddleback spider, the violin spider or the brown fiddler.

They can survive without food and water for long periods, and enjoy the regulated temperatures of houses.

They are usually brown or grey and are 6mm to 20mm in length. Unlike most spiders, which have eight eyes, the brown recluse has six.

Their bites can cause pain, swelling, itching, nausea and, in extreme cases, organ failure and even death. But experts say bites from them are rare and the vast majority cause no symptoms.

- Daily Mail