Southwest Airlines, Flight Crew Named In Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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DALLAS (CBSDFW) - A widow who says flight crew left her husband in an airplane bathroom to die is now suing Southwest Airlines and the flight crew.
According to reports, financial analyst Richard Ilczyszyn suffered a pulmonary embolism on a Southwest flight last September. Flight attendants heard him groaning in the plane's restroom, pushed open the door, and saw Ilczyszyn slumped over. The plane was about to land in Orange County, so the airline called the Sheriff's department.
Ilczyszyn's widow Kelly is a flight attendant for Southwest and says the crew should have called an ambulance.
Without knowing the nature of the emergency, Sheriff's deputies cleared the flight before checking on Ilczyszyn. He never regained consciousness.
Southwest Airlines says in a statement, the crew treated the situation as an emergency by arranging for first responders to meet the flight when it landed.
"We offer our continued sympathy and condolences. It appears to have been an unfortunate medical event that we believe our Flight Attendants handled appropriately." read the statement from the airline.
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