American Airlines Passenger Falls Unconscious in Bathroom Mid-Flight, Fails to Resuscitate

February 28, 2018
Abram I. Bohrer

In a scenario that has become all too familiar to our firm, the flight injury lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman are monitoring the events surrounding a tragedy aboard American Airlines Flight 2423. On Monday, June 12th, medical workers discovered an unresponsive female passenger in a rear bathroom of the 737 commercial airliner. Despite resuscitation efforts, the passenger was later pronounced dead. The airplane accident attorneys at Bohrer & Lukeman are closely following the events surrounding this harrowing mid-air episode.

Theresa Hines, 48, of Carrollton, Texas, was partially undressed and fully unconscious when medical workers pulled her from the bathroom. According to American Airlines, a “team of flight attendants, a doctor, three nurses and other folks tended to [the] passenger before the flight landed.”

The flight, which held 146 passengers and six crewmembers, was en route to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas. Upon landing, a team of EMTs from Allina Health and the airport boarded the plane and moved the passenger to the jet bridge.

Resuscitation efforts continued for one hour as the other passengers remained on the plane, at which point Hines was pronounced dead.

A tarp was put up to shield her as the passengers exited the jetway.

“We are deeply saddened by this event and our thoughts and prayers go out to our passenger’s loved ones,” said American Airlines in an official statement.

Aviation accident lawyer Abe Bohrer, who has lectured to other aviation attorneys on how to handle an in flight medical emergency case, had a different reaction. “In-flight medical emergencies have become an all too common occurrence and the airlines are often ill equipped to respond and typically mishandle them. When you get on that plane, you are at their mercy, and if you get sick, you’d better pray hard that either someone is paying attention and is willing to stand up and help. It is extremely rare for the pilot to decide that the passenger is ill enough to warrant diverting the flight.”

Bohrer continued, “just last year we handled a case on behalf of a woman who became visibly and violently ill on a long transcontinental flight. The flight attendants did just about nothing for her over the course of several hours, and ultimately she died from her illness. It was an awful tragedy and an absolute trauma for her husband who pleaded with the flight crew for help. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Hines family.”

The airplane accident lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman will continue to monitor the events surrounding the events surrounding Ms. Hines’ death aboard Flight 2423.

Bohrer & Lukeman is an airplane accident and injury law firm with years of experience representing those injured or killed in general and commercial aviation accidents. The New York-based aviation law firm’s founder, Abe Bohrer, has successfully represented victims and their families in general and commercial plane crashes both domestically and internationally for over 25 years.