14-year-old dies following medical emergency on American Airlines flight as devastated mom claims defibrillator was faulty
A New York City mother is suing American Airlines and demanding answers after her 14-year-old son died following a medical emergency on a flight.
Melissa Arzu, of the Bronx, alleges that the defibrillator that the aircrew used to try to save the teen was faulty — and it’s now gone missing, according to a new lawsuit.
Arzu said she’s stuck feeling hopeless after Kevin Greenidge’s fatal medical emergency aboard American Airlines Flight 614 from Honduras to Miami in 2022 as he was returning home from vacation with a family member.
Arzu’s lawsuit, filed in Texas earlier this month, claims the cabin crew was slow to respond and was not properly trained when Kevin lost consciousness in the middle of the flight.
The grieving mother’s attorney, Hannah Crowe, told The Post that multiple eyewitnesses also confirmed that the AED machine used to try to resuscitate Kevin appeared not to work.
“After Kevin died, the equipment went missing,” Crowe said. “Did someone at American intentionally destroy it? Is it defective? Put back out in service?
“These are all really serious violations of the federal laws that are in place to protect passengers,” she added.
Defibrillators have been required on all passenger planes since 2004, and are considered “no-go” equipment, meaning a plane cannot be dispatched if the devices are missing or inoperable, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Kevin suffered from asthma and type 2 diabetes. His primary cause of death was listed as “myocardial infarction” — a heart attack.
The lawsuit also claims that American Airlines failed to submit an advance payment of $113,100 for Kevin’s death, as per the company’s policy following a passenger’s death on board.
American Airlines declined to comment over the litigation, but said its “thoughts are with Mr. Greenidge’s loved ones.”
After the American Airlines crew was unable to resuscitate Kevin, the flight was diverted to Cancun, Mexico, where the teen died in a hospital.
“After Kevin died, I never heard from American Airlines,” Arzu said in a statement. “It made me feel hopeless. I want answers from American Airlines.
“I want American Airlines to take full responsibility for Kevin’s death,” she added. “I never want this to happen to a child or family again.”
Crowe said Arzu’s original lawsuit in New York was dismissed because American Airlines fought to have the trial in Fort Worth, Texas, where the company is based.
“American Airlines has really compounded her injury by fighting to have the case in Texas and forcing her to have to fly out here,” Crowe said. “It’s making things harder for her after the trauma she’s already suffered.”
