Summary
- Lawsuit filed by woman against American Airlines for faulty defibrillator during son’s fatal cardiac arrest on flight.
- The crew was reportedly slow to respond and untrained to use the defibrillator, which was not charged properly.
- Woman’s attorney alleges negligence led to son’s death, crew did not know how to operate the device effectively.
A woman is suing American Airlines over the death of her 14-year-old son, who died following a cardiac arrest onboard a flight from Honduras to Miami in 2022. The lawsuit alleges that the aircraft’s defibrillator was faulty and that the flight crew was not properly trained to use it.
American Airlines sued over faulty defibrillator
The woman, Melissa Arzu, is the mother of Kevin Greenidge, who suffered a cardiac arrest on American Airlines flight AA614 from La Mesa International Airport (SAP) to Miami International Airport (MIA) on June 4th, 2022. Greenidge, who was returning from a visit to his uncle in Honduras, is said to have lost consciousness soon after takeoff, with the flight eventually making an emergency diversion to Cancun. Unfortunately, after being taken to a hospital, Greenidge was pronounced dead.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Texas district court on Monday, states that Greenidge’s death was “caused wholly and solely by reason of the carelessness, recklessness, and negligence of the defendant,” alleging that the cabin crew was slow to respond to the medical emergency, were not sufficiently trained to operate the aircraft’s automatic external defibrillator (AED), and that the defibrillator was not even working.
Attorney Hannah Crowe, representing Ms. Arzu, commented,
“Multiple eyewitnesses confirm that American Airlines flight personnel were slow to respond and not able to operate the AED machine, which appeared not to work.”
Arzu initially filed the lawsuit in New York last year, but American Airlines managed to transfer the case to Fort Worth, where it is headquartered.
Batteries not charged, crew untrained
According to the lawsuit, two passengers with medical training – including a doctor – administered aid to Greenidge and requested that the crew bring the plane’s defibrillator immediately. When it was handed to him, the doctor noticed that it had not been charged properly, and it did not have sufficient charge to deliver an electrical shock to the patient.
Photo: Milkovasa | Shutterstock
It also alleges that the American Airlines crew was inadequately prepared to deal with the medical emergency, holding the crew responsible for “causing, permitting and allowing the mobile battery pack to drain down to no power, thereby causing the AED to stop working.” One member of the crew was reportedly “panicking” during the emergency and did not know what do, the lawsuit adds.
What are the rules on defibrillators?
All US airlines have been required to carry working defibrillators onboard their aircraft since a law change in 2004. The device is considered part of an aircraft’s minimum equipment list (MEL) and airlines need to ensure it is functioning correctly before each flight.
Do Commercial Aircraft Carry Defibrillators Onboard?
American Airlines was the first airline to have defibrillators on its aircraft.
American Airlines began equipping their planes with defibrillators back in 1997 and became the first airline to save a passenger’s life with a defibrillator during an onboard medical emergency in February 1998.
