A mother from New York alleges her teenage son died from cardiac arrest on an American Airlines flight and is filing a lawsuit because the defibrillator onboard wasn’t charged, Fox 29 reported. Her son was traveling from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to Miami at the time of his death. The airline reportedly is also under investigation after an incident at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
Melissa Arzu has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines related to the death of her 14-year-old son, Kevin Greenidge, in US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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The boy was traveling home from a family vacation at the time of the incident.
Keven suffered a cardiac arrest on his American Airlines flight last June while traveling home with his uncle from a family vacation, per Insider. A doctor aboard the flight reportedly tried to use the defibrillator but couldn’t revive the teenage boy. The suit filed says the defibrillator wasn’t working properly, Insider reported.
American Airlines issued a statement in response. "Our thoughts are with Mr. Greenidge and his loved ones," the statement read, according to Insider.
Airlines are required to have functioning defibrillators aboard flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration establishes regulations for the use of medical equipment aboard air carriers, specifically equipment used in a medical emergency, such as the automated external defibrillator or AED. “if the air carrier elects to have only one AED and one EMK on board, if that AED is inoperative or that EMK is incomplete, the aircraft may not be dispatched," guidelines read.
The airline is under investigation for another incident as well.
The other American Airlines event happened at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, reported an aircraft was cleared for takeoff on Runway 14 while an American Airlines plane was also permitted to land the same runway back in February, per Fox 29. The crew halted the landing and no damages or injuries were reported.
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A lawsuit has been filed by the boy's mother for damages and other relief.
The lawsuit alleges that American Airlines did not "ensure that the automatic external defibrillator and its mobile battery pack were fully and properly charged" and that this "caused, permitted, and/or hastened the untimely death of Greenidge." reported Insider. Arzu is seeking payment for the legal fees and payment for other relief and damages, according to Fox 29.
