In June 2022, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Honduras to Miami died after going into cardiac arrest and losing consciousness. The flight’s crew did attempt to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to revive the deceased—a teenager named Kevin Greenidge—but the AED did not work.
Greenidge’s family has now filed a lawsuit blaming American Airlines for the incident, according to a report from The Dallas Morning News. The lawsuit points to two primary issues: the AED not being properly charged, and the American Airlines crew not being trained to handle such situations.
The Dallas Morning News noted in its coverage that American Airlines actually has a long history with AEDs.
“A corporate medical doctor that worked at American Airlines from 1994 to 2002 convinced the carrier to keep defibrillators on board,” according to the report. “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.”
American Airlines has not yet commented publicly on the family's accusations.
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.