Family Sues American Over Mid-Flight Death

A South Carolina family is accusing American Airlines of negligence, after a 25-year-old who fell ill allegedly suffered cardiac arrest during a flight. In a court complaint, the family claims that despite the advice of a doctor, pilots did not act to save the life of their loved one.

A family is accusing American Airline pilots of taking no action to save the life of their loved one, despite a doctor reportedly requesting an emergency landing. The State of Columbia, South Carolina reports that the family of 25-year-old Brittany Oswell has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Dallas-based carrier over the incident.

According to their complaint, Oswell initially fell ill while flying from Hawaii to South Carolina via Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with her husband on April 15, 2018. Over the Los Angeles area, she began complaining about feeling dizzy and disoriented, before slurring speech and fainting.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Oswell was treated by a doctor aboard the flight, who misdiagnosed her as having a panic attack. Later on, the lawsuit says that she was found unconscious in the lavatory, where she allegedly vomited on herself.

When the doctor was called again, the lawsuit claims that she requested the flight crew make an emergency landing to attend to Oswell’s needs. After the request was made, they claim Oswell stopped breathing and lost her pulse. Both the doctor and flight attendants performed CPR in order to save her life before the flight landed.

The family accuses American of making no attempt at an emergency landing. In addition, the suit claims that medical equipment aboard the aircraft was malfunctioning and in poor shape. Oswell was ultimately transported to Baylor Medical Center after landing at DFW, where she was diagnosed with an embolism. She was taken off life support and died two days later.

In a statement to Charlotte, North Carolina CBS affiliate WBTV-TV, American noted: “We take the safety of our passengers very seriously and we are looking into the details of the complaint.” The family is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, grief and sorrow.

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