# Airlines sued for not accepting an obese passenger who later died **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274 "2012-11-27T16:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/21 "2012-11-27T18:13:14Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > To be fair, people treat the term “sued for eleventy-billion dollars” as if it means “got eleventy-billion dollars” instead of “filed some paperwork asking for eleventy-billion dollars”. It makes for great headlines, while the later “got laughed out of court” or “settled for $10 and a bag of M&Ms” does not. And to be fair, lots of things aren’t done because X is afraid of a high chance of loosing an eleventy-billion dollar suit. They are worried about the slim chance of it. And even if they know they wouldn’t end up paying eleventy billion, they do know they could spend a bunch of money to lawyers making sure they win. Easiest and safest thing to do? Don’t take the chance in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/22 "2012-11-27T19:15:34Z")
Or, you know, she could have gotten in a car or on a train and gone to Austria, where presumably the medical care would be up to her standards. She could probably have even found an English-speaking doctor. And if she’s that afraid of medical care anywhere but in the U.S., then she shouldn’t have left the U.S. in the first place knowing she had potentially serious medical conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Saraya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Saraya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saraya)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/23 "2012-11-27T19:21:43Z")
Better question is whether her obesity was from being diabetic or she made herself fat and diabetic. Note to airlines, go back to the 70s seats please which were huge, could fit two people and had their own ashtrays! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/24 "2012-11-27T19:24:53Z")
No sympathy. The airlines did their best and that’s all they could do. She brought it on herself and has no-one else to blame. I hope the suit gets tossed promptly. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/25 "2012-11-27T19:38:08Z")
> [@Saraya](#): > > Note to airlines, go back to the 70s seats please which were huge, could fit two people and had their own ashtrays! Gaaaaah! No! No more smoking on planes, PLEASE! ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/26 "2012-11-27T20:06:04Z")
The story gets worse. Not only did she weigh 407 lbs, she only had one leg. They used an airlift to get her on the first plane on KLM and one was not available to get her on the second Delta plane after she had been put off the KLM return flight because of a seat back issue. Then she was unable to fit on the Lufthansa flight, which is believable when you see her photo. Even the fire brigade and technical experts couldn’t get her in. [http://gma.yahoo.com/obese-woman-denied-flights-home-dies-abroad-191137549--abc-news-topstories.html](http://gma.yahoo.com/obese-woman-denied-flights-home-dies-abroad-191137549--abc-news-topstories.html) Sorry, but when you are that big, airline travel is not a sure thing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/27 "2012-11-27T20:13:48Z")
I wonder what the issue was with the seat back. Did every seat have the same issue? ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/28 "2012-11-27T20:37:56Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I wonder what the issue was with the seat back. Did every seat have the same issue? It was no longer in its full-upright position? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/29 "2012-11-27T20:42:27Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > It was no longer in its full-upright position? I chuckled, but then thought (especially after looking at her picture) that’s probably exactly right. There’s no way she could fit in there without reclining the seat. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/30 "2012-11-27T20:44:36Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > To be fair, people treat the term “sued for eleventy-billion dollars” as if it means “got eleventy-billion dollars” instead of “filed some paperwork asking for eleventy-billion dollars”. It makes for great headlines, while the later “got laughed out of court” or “settled for $10 and a bag of M&Ms” does not. > > Not that there aren’t frivolous lawsuits that get disturbingly far, but they way the process works, and the way the media works, make society seem a lot more litigious than it is. And sometimes that “eleventy-billion dollars” isn’t as huge as it seems at first blush. Whatever absurd amount of money that McDonalds’ was penalized for that old lady who scalded her crotch with their hot coffee was: Only one single day’s worth of coffee sales for the company. That’s it. Hardly a massive crippling blow to McDonald’s at all. Effectively a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme of things; it’s just that a slap on the wrist to a company McDonald’s size seems like a mind-bogglingly huge amount of money to the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/31 "2012-11-27T20:54:25Z")
Several problems here for her and her husband the largest is: It does not appear to have been a medical emergency that required transport, nor is there anything stating that they declared their trip as such. To me this is where they lose. The simply can’t expect emergency accommodations without stating that they have a medical emergency. then we get into issues that they failed to follow things that could have saved her, local doctors, drive to another city, etc. Fault solely on the couple. IMHO ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/32 "2012-11-27T21:23:54Z")
Could she have been put on board a military transport, or FedEx plane? Seriously, if you have bad medical problems, you have no business going overseas, unless its for treatment. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/33 "2012-11-27T22:47:35Z")
> [@solosam](#): > > I agree. It sounds like they made reasonable attempts to accomodate her. > > If she was suffering from an emergency medical condition, it is unreasonable to expect any random plane to transport her. There are dedicated medical aircraft that are designed for that purpose. I further do not understand why she would not seek local medical treatment, especially if the alternative is death. > > Sometimes bad things happen and it’s no one’s fault. Precisely. It’s just hard to get some people to accept this as a fact of our existence. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/34 "2012-11-27T23:10:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Only one single day’s worth of coffee sales for the company. That’s it. Hardly a massive crippling blow to McDonald’s at all. Effectively a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme of things; it’s just that a slap on the wrist to a company McDonald’s size seems like a mind-bogglingly huge amount of money to the rest of us. So if I get a mind-boggling huge amount of money from a company that I don’t deserve from a company that isn’t at fault for a problem that money can’t fix its okay if the company won’t miss that money? IMO that is still just theft, its just stealing a tiny amount from a bunch of people from people that didnt do anything wrong. I don’t want a penny of my airfair money going to the dumb widower and his grubby lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/35 "2012-11-27T23:26:52Z")
I think the Airline and the insurance company are gonna have to fight this one. I cannot see them losing, but it will cost. The airline did everything it could…_above and beyond_, IMO, but if she she cannot be secured in the seat then she cannot fly. Period. That would have put her AND other passengers in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/36 "2012-11-27T23:35:05Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > Delta and KLM are being sued by the husband. [Marlin Perkins] Having successfully mated, and with the death of his mate, the feeder now enters a new phase, that of blood-sucker [/Marlin Perkins] ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/37 "2012-11-28T00:24:23Z")
As many here have said. When you have two choices, die or the accept available medical help, the obvious answer is the latter option. It’s too bad she didn’t see it that way. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/38 "2012-11-28T00:31:08Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > As many here have said. When you have two choices, die or the accept available medical help, the obvious answer is the latter option. It’s too bad she didn’t see it that way. Also, even if she had valid reasons not to trust Hungarian doctors, she was probably a 2 or 3 hour drive from Austria, or keep going to Switzerland and Germany in another 5 hours or so. She had plenty of medical options with world class hospitals within a 10 hour drive. Instead of driving to Prague, it would have been closer to drive to Vienna and go to a hospital there. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/39 "2012-11-28T00:47:52Z")
Sounds to me like Delta did everything they could. She should have accepted whatever medical care was available to her, or stayed at home if she was too sick to travel. She was FROM Hungary so I’m wondering what her beef was with Hungarian doctors. I’m sure they’ve heard of diabeetus and kidney disease. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274/40 "2012-11-28T00:53:45Z")
We’re not talking about Soviet-era medicine or a third-world country or something; Prague certainly is a very modern city. I can understand just wanting to get **home** when you’re sick, but my god, the first or second time an airline turns you away, get yourself to the nearest doctor! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airlines-sued-for-not-accepting-an-obese-passenger-who-later-died/642274.md?page=3)