Mother is suing American Airlines after 14-year-old son dies on plane

A mother has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines after her 14-year-old son died on board a flight.

Kevin Greenidge was flying from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to Miami last June when he experienced a medical emergency, as disclosed in a suit filed in federal court by his mother, Melissa Arzu.

A medic onboard tried to use a defibrillator on the teenager while he suffered a cardiac arrest, but the life-saving device was allegedly not charged, as reported by The Independent.

According to the publication, Arzu’s attorney Thomas Giuffra said the flight made an emergency landing in Cancun, Mexico, where doctors tried to save the boy but, tragically, he was pronounced dead shortly after.

Arzu is suing American Airlines after her 14-year-old son died on a flight. Credit: Drew Angerer / Getty

The lawsuit, which was refiled on Monday (May 13) after American Airlines challenged to transfer the case to the state where it’s headquartered, asks for around $150,000 in compensation.

The document claims that the flight crew was very slow in their responses after Greenidge’s desperate family called for help and that they were unable to operate the defibrillator.

The file also added that because the machine didn’t deliver a necessary shock to save the teen’s life, the crew kept advising that CPR should be continued.

The lawsuit claims the flight crew was slow to respond and could not operate the defibrillator. Credit: Keith Brofsky / Getty

According to Simple Flying, all US airlines have been required to carry working defibrillators on their planes since 2004.

The device is considered part of an aircraft’s minimum equipment list (MEL), and it is expected that it’s functioning correctly before each flight.

American Airlines became the first US commercial airline to put the machine on its planes in 1997 and to train its attendants to use them.

In a video shared by her legal team, Greenidge’s bereaved mother said: “After Kevin died, I never heard from American Airlines,” as cited by Business Insider.

“It made me feel hopeless. I want answers from American Airlines. I want American Airlines to take full responsibility for Kevin’s death. I never want this to happen to a child or family again,” Arzu added.

Hannah Crowe, Arzu’s attorney, also shared a few words, claiming that “after Kevin died, the equipment went missing”.

American Airlines has expressed condolences to Greenidge’s family in a statement, which read: “Our thoughts are with Mr. Greenridge’s loved ones.

“We are going to decline further comment given this matter involves pending litigation,” they added.