JetBlue passenger bit by dog boarding flight might need rabies shot

BOSTON — A JetBlue passenger from Southbridge who says she was bit by a dog before her flight in Orlando is trying to track down the dog before a deadline to get a rabies vaccine.

Brittany Langlois said she was bit by a dog at the check-in line for her flight at the Orlando International Airport last Sunday, and while the bite has been improving, she still doesn't know anything about the animal's medical records.

"I turn around and this owner is kind of reeling the dog back in, and I look at her and I'm like 'That dog just bit me,'” Langlois said.

Langlois has been on a course of pain meds and antibiotics for the last week, but the real pain may still be ahead if she's forced to undergo a series of rabies shots, something even her doctor is hesitant to do.

Langlois has been calling and emailing JetBlue's customer service, trying to get contact information for the owner of the dog that bit her so she can find out if the animal is up to date on its shots.

Langlois has a window of ten days before she will be forced to do it to be safe. Immediately after the incident, she says a JetBlue agent removed the man from the line, but she never saw him again. Agents wouldn't or couldn't give her any information on the dog or the owner.

But with the clock running out, she's hoping the airline will spare her the pain ahead, even if they can't undo what's been done already.

"She's like, 'There's nothing we can do. We can cover your medical bills but that's about it.' And then she provided me with a $50 voucher. Like, ‘I don't know if I'm ever going to fly again,’" Langlois said of the response she got from JetBlue's customer service representative.

Boston 25 News has reached out to JetBlue for an update on this situation earlier this week, and we were told they're working with Langlois to get to the bottom of this issue. So far, we haven't heard back.

Cox Media Group