American Airlines has been accused of not helping a sick passenger, who later died. Now, his family is suing after the airline allegedly delayed medical attention during a medical crisis.
The family claims that American Airlines workers allowed all the other passengers to depart the plane before getting aid for the passenger. 62-year-old John William Cannon later died. Now, his son, Kyle, is suing the airline over his death, saying that they could have done more to prevent it. Cannon had been on American Airlines Flight 1444 from Kentucky's Louisville International Airport to Dallas.
However, near deboarding of his first flight, he "suffered a syncopal event." Staff released him to his connecting flight to Colorado.
"While Mr. Cannon exhibited concerning signs of medical distress, AAL personnel proceeded to transfer him from AAL1444 to his connecting flight, AAL4896 (operated by Envoy Air, Inc.)," the complaint claims.
American Airlines Tragedy
From there, Cannon became unresponsive on the flight. The lawsuit alleges, "Despite Mr. Cannon's escalating medical crisis, the AAL4896 flight crew delayed requesting medical assistance until after the aircraft had landed, taxied to the gate, and all other passengers had deplaned."
Apparently, the American Airlines passenger was in and out of consciousness. First responders transported him to a nearby hospital. He "suffered sinus bradycardia, which progressed to ventricular fibrillation arrest." The passenger later died.
"The circumstances of this case represent a tangible manifestation of a corporate culture at American Airlines that prioritizes inaction over intervention," LoRusso and Jessica McBryant, attorneys for the Cannon family, told PEOPLE. "This ingrained culture, to which John Cannon tragically fell victim, underscores a systemic issue the family is determined to address, both in seeking justice for John and in advocating for broader organizational change."
His son is seeking damages for "conscious pain, suffering, mental anguish, loss of time and income, medical expenses, and other damages prior to his death." It remains to be seen how the court case will go. But American Airlines said they are "reviewing the complaint." We will see ultimately what comes of the story. But either way it is heartbreaking to be sure.
