A disabled Florida woman who claimed she was paralyzed after falling down a plane walkway because Southwest Airlines employees refused to assist her has died.
According to an ongoing lawsuit, Gaby Assouline, 25, was using a wheelchair while traveling to Denver from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in February 2022, when she and her mother asked an airline employee for assistance.
Assouline and her family claim that her request was denied and that she was forced to make her way down the jet bridge on her own.
She was soon “thrown” from the wheelchair and landed on her head, causing catastrophic injuries that left her paralyzed from the neck down, the suit says.
After 11 bedridden months, Assouline passed away Sunday, her family said on a GoFundMe page.
“Gaby was not alone at the end,” they wrote. “We were all blessed to be with her bedside, crying, praying and sharing Gaby stories.”
Sandra Assouline, her mother, said last year that her once-vivacious daughter was forced to use a feeding tube and could no longer speak as a result of the plane crash.
“The fear and pain she shows in her eyes when she wakes up in those brief moments of clarity is too much to bear,” her mother said at the time.
Assouline stated that her daughter had a disorder that turned muscle tissue into bone, which limited her mobility.
Southwest claimed in court papers that Gaby refused rather than requested assistance, which enraged Gaby’s family.
Her mother maintains that she and her daughter formally requested the use of a wheelchair and for staffers to help Gaby move around the airport.
The airline acknowledged Gaby’s passing this week.
“Southwest offers its sincere condolences to Ms. Assouline’s family, friends and all whose lives she touched,” the statement reads. “We have a more than 51-year commitment to caring for our People and Customers and remain engaged with the parties involved.”
Assouline’s family expressed hope that Gaby would be able to return home before her critical condition worsened.
“Gaby’s life was tragically interrupted 11 months ago, but she fought with grace, friends, laughter, and the firm belief that she would leave the hospital and return home very soon,” they wrote online. “Unfortunately, complications stole Gaby’s happy ending.”
source:https://ghanaianexpress.com
