HONOLULU — Details in the autopsy report of Hawaii’s former health director who died after a plane’s ocean landing reveal how traumatic the ordeal was for her.
The autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press on Monday says Loretta Fuddy was “markedly afraid” while waiting for help to arrive after the small plane crashed off Molokai on Dec. 11.
The report says 65-year-old Fuddy was a “rudimentary swimmer” who never swam in the ocean.
Maui police have said her death was the result of an irregular heartbeat triggered by stress. The autopsy says the acute cardiac arrhythmia was due to hyperventilation.
The pilot and seven other passengers on the Makani Kai Air flight survived without major injuries.
Maui County cites privacy laws for redacting significant portions of the report.