Mother Sues American Airlines Over Son’s Death From Cardiac Arrest

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A woman is suing American Airlines in a New York district court for “organizational carelessness” and negligence in the death of her son, who died after going into cardiac arrest on a flight from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to Miami last June. According to the lawsuit cited today (March 21) in multiple news reports, the crew aboard Flight AA614 tried to resuscitate teenager Kevin Greenidge, but the batteries of the onboard automatic external defibrillator (AED) were not charged.

The suit, filed by Greenidge’s mother Melissa Arzu, also claims that the crew was not sufficiently trained in operating the AED. The flight diverted to Cancun, Mexico, but Greenidge did not survive.

The reported accusations in the lawsuit are inconsistent with American’s history when it comes to AEDs. According to the airline, it was the first to carry the devices, installing them on all aircraft in 1997. And in 1998, American says, it made history with the first case of a passenger surviving cardiac arrest after flight attendants used the AED.

A 2007 press release posted on the American Airlines website cites the 1998 incident, adding that in the decade after installing AEDs on its aircraft, 76 passengers had been resuscitated. Then-corporate medical director for American, Dr. Thomas Bettes, is quoted in the 2007 post: “Our extensive training process ensures that our nearly 16,000 flight attendants are AED-trained annually and available to assist should a passenger become a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.”

The post added that American’s “installation of AEDs came nearly seven years before the FAA required them on all commercial passenger aircraft of a certain size.”

Mark Phelps
Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. So if an airliner’s AED batteries are not charged, does that mean the airplane does not meet it’s “Type Design” and is — therefore — unairworthy. Let’s just see what the lawyers try to say.

  2. An AED is required by FAA in this instance but how often is an AED required to be tested for functionality by the FAA? By corporate policy? Are the test outcomes logged? Is there life expectancy and mandatory replacement for the batteries? Did the flight crew receive mandatory annual training? Receiving training does not guarantee an outcome. Things work, until they don’t. Longevity is unpredictable with electrical devices, even a light bulb that works, stops working typically without warning. It is natural for people to die, whether it is on a sidewalk, in a doctor’s office, during an accident or on an airplane. The goal is for someone to assist, and the assistance is successful. Sometimes the latter does not happen.

  3. Very sad. Some of these teenage heart attacks are caused by inflamed heart muscles (there is some research showing a link to heavy exercise while suffering from flu / cold viruses), and in those cases it is not certain that an defibrillator / heart massage will always work.
    But the machines are designed to have fully charged and chargeable batteries, and an alarm when this is not the case.
    Lots to look into.
    New smart phone apps (on the ground) are starting to link to defibrillators, so people are alerted there is a problem, where the defibrillator is, and where the heart attack victim is, and their use is going up.

  4. My experience with AEDs is fairly limited, but the ones I have used relied on a bank of non-rechargeable batteries (silver oxide?) that had a defined shelf life date. The device would be placarded to require replacement of the batteries well short of (half way, I recall) the expiration date. There was no visible indicator/warning when this point was reached, just something that was determined via regular inspections. I suppose there are AEDs with rechargeable batteries, but inasmuch as the go-to rechargeable these days is Li-Ion that would be an unlikely choice to carry on an aircraft.

  5. Most AEDs have non rechargeable batteries. Typically, these batteries are good for approximately 5 years (depending on type and vendor), if not used to deliver shocks. If used, lifetime may be shorter.
    Most AED have an indicator to show that the batteries are good. This is the only “test” for an AED before use: is the indicator green? In some AEDs you need to open the lid and listen to some announcement.
    Unlike what we see in movies, AEDs are not a miracle cure for all heart problems. AED are designed to detect a heart condition called ventricular fibrillation or VF, and then recommend delivering a shock. Someone needs to push the button. Delivering a shock does not guarantee success, as we sadly see in many resuscitation attempts.

  6. While everyone is focused on the misfortune of the AED, have we not forgotten the basics ~ the use of CPR? The other unknown is the physiological condition of the teenager for it is possible that no amount of AED would have saved this individual.

  7. Most comments seem to be focused on the AED, and the supposed “dead” battery. According to a retired AA F/A that I know, AED and battery functionality is part of every pre-flight along with the presence of a spare battery. Many of the aircraft also have an extra AED on the flight deck as well. More to this story that the AED issue and I will venture that AA will walk away as they should. This is case of sour grapes by a parent that wants someone to blame for the loss of a child.

    • To add to the above, I know for a fact that AED use is part of FA annual recurrent. Also, should they get an inflight evaluation flight, that is a item that is covered by the evaluator.

  8. You are getting allegations on the battery status, not facts. The AEB’s won’t fire if they sense that the heart status doesn’t require it. I’d bet on that over dead batteries.

    Media love to run hate stories on airlines without any context or analysis whatsoever, it’s right up there with “the rich don’t pay taxes”.

    • You are correct. It not that the rich don’t pay any taxes, it’s that they don’t pay enough taxes.

      • There are two sides to that equation. Why is the answer always to increase taxes? You could just as easily decrease taxes to solve the equation.

        If the rich are not paying as much as others….decrease taxes on the others so that they are paying as little as the rich.

  9. Hope this isn’t a sad echo of the FA who got in trouble because she noticed that the wrong fire extinguishers were installed.

  10. With condolences due to the surviving mother, it always seems that somebody has to come up with money to pay for the surviving members loss. A cardiac arrest can kill you even if the best attempts are made to bring you back to life. I hope this case gets dropped and the surviving members come to realize they can live with the benefit of a financial perk from their son’s death.

  11. Two possible outcomes of this suit:-

    American settles out of court in good faith without admitting responsibility.
    or
    The mother gets slapped with a V.Large costs bill when she is informed that her son would likely have died, even with a functioning defibrillator.

    • Most likely the attorney agreed to file the suit on a contingency basis where the mother incurs no costs for legal fees, just a percentage of the award going to the attorney. The intent is for the airline to do an out of court settlement, thus minimizing court costs and expenses. It’s a fairly common tactic in personal injury cases because the defendants do not want to take the chance on a sympathetic (to the plaintiff) jury.

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