Disabled woman dies after falling down a plane walkway, grieving family sues Southwest Airlines

In Florida, a disabled woman claimed that she was paralyzed as a result of negligence from Southwest Airlines staff. She fell down a plane walkway, and her family claims that the workers refused to help her.

The woman recently passed away as a result of her injuries, and her family has initiated a lawsuit against Southwest.

Gaby Assouline, 25, had a genetic muscle disorder. She was using a wheelchair when she was traveling from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Denver in February 2022. According to an ongoing lawsuit, Gaby and her mother required assistance from an airline employee.

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.

The Assouline family claims that their request for assistance was denied and that Ms. Assouline had to manuever the jet bridge unaccompanied. The lawsuit states that she was abruptly ejected from her wheelchair, resulting in her falling on her head. The injuries were so severe that she became paralyzed from the neck down.

After spending 11 months confined to a bed, the woman sadly passed away this past Sunday.

Sandra Assouline’s, the woman’s mother, stated that the once lively girl had to rely on a feeding tube and was unable to speak following the airplane incident. She said, “The fear and pain she is showing in her eyes when she wakes up in those brief moments of clarity is too much to bear.”