As Berkowitz and Hanna LLC represents wrongful death lawsuits based in Connecticut, its wrongful death attorneys can concur that, at times, an individual’s death can involve uncommon factors.
The firm has come across a CBS News story involving a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the widow of Richard Ilczyszyn, a high-profile financial analyst who died on a Southwest Airlines flight last September. Ilczyszyn reportedly suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism while in the bathroom before the plane’s landing.
The lawsuit claims that a Southwest crew member left Ilczyszyn in the lavatory and treated him as an unruly passenger rather than getting him medical attention.
According to an Orange County Sheriff’s report, the crew member pushed the bathroom door open slightly and saw Ilczyszyn “slumped over, groaning and crying,” with his foot wedged against the door. After notifying the sheriff’s department, it wasn’t until all the passengers got off the landed aircraft that Ilczyszyn was found unresponsive and then medical help was called. The report also stated that the attendant described Ilczyszyn to police as having locked himself in the lavatory and was “screaming and yelling.”
An attorney for Ilczyszyn’s widow—who is a Southwest flight attendant—said that the attendants and flight crew “did not act reasonably based on the information that was before them.” Southwest officials responded by saying that due to the crew not being able to pry open the bathroom door, they were unable to fully assess Ilczyszyn’s condition.
The legal experts at the firm will continue to monitor this case.
Please note: We do not represent any of the parties in this case.
Photo by James Wang via Flickr.com
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