Going on a business trip isn’t something that most people associate with death; however, a business trip and a flight on Southwest Airlines are factors being named in a wrongful death lawsuit. Last year, a 46-year-old financial analyst was traveling to Orange County, California, when he suffered from a pulmonary embolism. The wrongful death lawsuit, which is being filed by his widow, claims that the airline didn’t help him and opted to treat him like a passenger who was out of control.
A pulmonary embolism is a condition in which one of the pulmonary arteries to the lungs becomes blocked, usually by a blood clot. Prompt treatment of a pulmonary embolism can greatly reduce the risk of the pulmonary embolism being fatal, notes the Mayo Clinic.
In the case of the financial analyst, flight attendants heard noises coming from the bathroom onboard as they were preparing to land. One of the crew members opened the door and saw the man crying, groaning and slumped over. His foot was wedged on the door.
According to the sheriff’s department, a caller said that a passenger locked himself in the bathroom and was screaming. With that information, the sheriff’s department treated the situation as an unruly passenger incident instead of a medical emergency. They had everyone get off the plane and then made their way to the bathroom.
When they saw the man’s condition, they called for medical assistance. By that time, the man was unresponsive. He never regained consciousness.
The widow of the man is a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. She says that the paramedics should have met the flight. Her attorney alleges that the captain, crew and flight attendants didn’t act reasonably.
This widow was left to explain to her daughter that her Daddy wasn’t coming home. She now has to deal with the implications of the fatal incident. She has opted to file a wrongful death lawsuit, which is the right of anyone who loses a loved one in a similar situation.
Source: CBS News, “Widow says Southwest crew “left” husband to die,” April. 20, 2015
