DALLAS — A lawsuit against Fort Worth-based American Airlines says a man died on a flight in June after an onboard defibrillator failed to work because it wasn’t charged.
Kevin Greenidge was on flight AA614 from San Pedro Sula, Honduras traveling to Miami International Airport on June 4, when he went into cardiac arrest and became unconscious. When crewmembers tried to administer a shock from the automatic external defibrillator (AED), it did not shock Greenidge, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit filed in a district court in New York by his mother, Melissa Arzu, Greenidge’s death was a result of carelessness from the airline, citing the uncharged mobile battery pack and employees that were untrained in resuscitation.
American Airlines and the attorneys listed for the plaintiff did not respond to requests for comment.
The Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998 requires airlines to medical equipment such as defibrillators and train flight attendants to use the equipment. The complaint lists that Greenidge sustained several injuries prior to his death. Had he survived, the complaint reads he would have been entitled to actual and punitive damages.
A corporate medical doctor that worked at American Airlines from 1994 to 2002 convinced the carrier to keep defibrillators on board. David McKenas worked with American and its then-CEO Bob Crandall to make it the first U.S. airline to put defibrillators on board. On Feb 18, 1998, the first life was saved by a defibrillator on an American Airlines flight.
Over 350,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest in the U.S. every year, according to AED USA. If a person going into cardiac arrest is defibrillated within the first 3 minutes from collapse, there’s a 70% chance of survival.
