Relatives Of Woman Who Died On American Airlines Flight Are Suing

The family of a woman who died aboard an American Airlines flight is suing the airline, alleging wrongful death.  In April 2016, Brittany Oswell and her husband were aboard a flight from Hawaii to South Carolina with a layover in Dallas, when Oswell started to feel ill.

At first, she was dizzy and disoriented right before she fainted as her husband paged flight attendants.  There happened to be a passenger who was on the flight that was a doctor.  He analyzed Oswell as she began to regain her consciousness, so he ruled it a panic attack.  A couple of hours later, Oswell went to the bathroom where she collapsed, defecated and vomited on herself.

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According to the lawsuit, once the doctor checked her out, he urged the crew to land at the nearest airport for medical care.  Instead, the flight attendants brought her to the galley where she got some oxygen.  The doctor tried to take her blood pressure but the cuffs were not working.  After Oswell’s pulse stopped, the doctor and flight attendants tried to use the defibrillator but there was no shock.  Then they tried to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation,  according to the lawsuit.

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The flight never diverted and landed in Dallas where she was taken to Baylor Medical Center.  After being brain dead for three days after the flight, she was taken off life-support equipment.

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The lawsuit alleges that the plane crew neglected to divert the plane, in spite of the doctor’s urgent cries for Oswell’s medical attention, and that the medical equipment aboard the plane didn’t work.  “When Brittany got on the plane, she stepped into her coffin.  It’s a tragedy.” Brad Cranshaw, the lawyer representing the woman’s family told The State newspaper.

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Tina Starks, Oswell’s mother, told ABC News, “We absolutely felt like this was not taken very seriously.  She’s no longer here to do anything with us and it’s all because someone made a business decision to keep flying a plane when she needed emergency medical help that they could not provide because of inadequacies on board the flight.”

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Though the airline has not directly responded to the lawsuit,  they issued this statement: “We take the safety of our passengers very seriously and we are looking into the details of the complaint.”