Lawsuit Filed Against Airlines in Obese Woman’s Wrongful Death

The husband of a woman who died in Hungary while awaiting a flight home to New York is suing Delta Airlines, KLM, and Lufthansa. The husband claimed that his wife, who was noted as being morbidly obese, along with suffering from various other health issues, died a wrongful death. She started feeling ill while vacationing with her husband at their house in Hungary, and called her doctor in New York. The doctor requested the woman see him when she returned, and the couple began their quest to find a way back to New York as soon as possible. When the couple flew to Hungary in early September, they did not encounter any issues. When they tried to fly back to New York in October, however, a myriad of problems arose. Now they have a lawsuit filed against airlines.

They originally planned to fly home using a KLM flight, but once onboard, the couple discovered their seats were broken. Due to the damaged seats, the wife could not maneuver her wheelchair into her assigned seat. Instead of offering the couple new seats, KLM told them to exit the plane. KLM made new arrangements for the couple to take a Delta flight from Prague the next day. The couple was forced to drive to Prague from Budapest to board the Delta flight. When preparing to board, Delta told the couple they did not have a proper wheelchair for the disabled wife. They claimed they would not have access to a wheelchair that could assist in boarding the wife in the foreseeable future, and explained there was nothing else they could do to help the couple. The couple was once again denied a flight home. Upon returning to their home in Hungary, the couple called their travel agent in New York. The travel agent arranged for a Lufthansa flight, but once again, the couple encountered issues and failed to return to New York in a timely manner.

Before the couple could return home to New York, the wife died of kidney failure. The husband is claiming a wrongful death lawsuit against the airlines due to their inability to assist his wife, when they were made aware of and acknowledged her health issues. Instead of helping the couple return to New York, where the wife might have received proper medical assistance, the airlines delayed their trip home, causing the wife to die in Hungary. Delta Airlines claimed they did everything in their power to help the couple, but KLM and Lufthansa were unable to comment about the situation. The husband is seeking 6 million in monetary compensation. If a loved one has died in a death you feel could have been prevented, a NYC personal injury lawyer may be able to assist you file a wrongful death claim. The personal injury attorneys at Greenberg and Stein have been assisting clients for over 50 years combined, and fight tirelessly to win cases. Please contact us today regarding a wrongful death claim.