As reported by ABC News, the widower of a "morbidly obese" woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against more than one airline as his wife passed away after repeatedly being turned away from being boarded.
The lawsuit was filed by J.S. in New York City and seeks $6 million in damages. Three different airlines – Delta, KLM and Lufthansa – have been named responsible for the death of J.S.'s wife, V.S.
The couple had purchased three seats – two seats for her and one for him – on each leg of their trip from Hungary to their home in New York.
The first leg of the couple's trip, from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Budapest, Hungary, with a connection through Amsterdam, went without incident last September. However, once arriving in Hungary V.S. started to feel ill.
V.S.'s New York physician advised her to see him once she returned home. V.S., reportedly weighing over 400 pounds, also suffered with an amputated leg and was confined to a wheelchair.
On October 15 they were turned away from a KLM flight, after they had boarded, because two of the seats in their row were broken and would not allow room for wheelchair access.
After waiting five hours, KLM employees set them up with a flight on Delta, however, instead of flying from Hungary, the couple had to drive 4.5 hours to Prague that night to take the new flight.
This time the airline did not have the proper wheelchair to move V.S., though the couple had been assured by KLM that arrangements, regarding V.S.'s weight and medical condition, had been taken into consideration.
The were forced to disembark again.
The couple had no other choice other than to drive back to Hungary. Once at home they contacted their New York travel agent for help. It was arranged for them to depart on October 22 on a Lufthansa flight that would have a connection in Frankfurt. They arrived at the airport and received their boarding passes for three seats.
Lufthansa had medics, as well as local EMS/firefighters assist V.S. into her seats. This time it was time alone that was against them. The extra assistance had taken so long that the pilot ordered them off. He claimed that "other passengers needed to catch a connecting flight and cannot be delayed further." Then it took approximately 30 more minutes to get the couple off of the plane.
After returning again to Hungary, and calling on their travel agent once again, V.S. died of kidney failure.
The suit contends that because each airline knew of V.S.'s medical condition and yet failed to be properly prepared to board her, they showed a "willful, wanton and reckless disregard" for her.
Contact a personal injury lawyer if your loved one has died in a wrongful death scenario. Suing for your damages will help you find closure in a difficult situation.