A woman has sued American Airlines after her 14-year-old son died following a medical emergency on a flight. The lawsuit alleges that the aircraft's defibrillator was faulty and that the flight crew was not properly trained to use it. According to the New York Post, 14-year-old Kevin Greenidge was flying home to New York City with his family from a summer vacation in Honduras when he suddenly lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest shortly after takeoff.
The teen's mother alleged that the flight crew was slow to respond after she called for help and that they were unable to operate the defibrillator. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Cancun Mexico, where Mr Greenidge was rushed to the hospital. However, he was pronounced dead.
The teen suffered from asthma and type 2 diabetes. His primary cause of death was listed as ''myocardial infarction''.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Texas district court on Monday, states that his death was ''caused wholly and solely by reason of the carelessness, recklessness, and negligence of the defendant.''
When crewmembers "eventually attempted to use" the plane's automated external defibrillator (AED), they were "either unable to properly operate the machine or the machine did not function properly," the lawsuit said.
According to eyewitnesses, each time the AED gave a ''clear'' warning for people to step back from Greenidge's body so that a shock could be administered, a shock was not delivered. Instead, the machine simply kept advising that CPR should be continued.
''After Kevin died, I never heard from American Airlines. It made me feel hopeless. I want answers from American Airlines. I want American Airlines to take full responsibility for Kevin's death. I never want this to happen to a child or family again,'' the teen's mother Melissa Arzu said in a press release about the lawsuit.
According to the suit, the airline also failed to pay her the advance $113,100 it owed her, per the company's policy, when a passenger dies on board.
Notably, flight attendants working for US-based airlines are required to be trained in CPR and in use of the automatic external defibrillator.
American Airlines declined to comment over the litigation, but said their ''thoughts are with Mr. Greenidge's loved ones.''
