American Airlines ordered to pay US$9.6 million for ignoring man who had stroke

A federal California jury ruled that Fort Worth-based American Airlines should pay US$9.6 million for neglecting a passenger who suffered a stroke on board a flight from Miami to Madrid, failing to report his mid-flight symptoms.

The San Jose-based jury found that when Watsonville, California, resident Jesus Plasencia suffered a stroke after take-off on flight 68 in March 2021, flight crew did not follow American’s policies and procedures, according to a statement from his lawyers.

Plasencia, a chef, suffered a short transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes referred to as a mini stroke, while at the gate in Miami, according to evidence presented at the six-day trial, the statement said.

Plasencia was unaware that the attack had happened. However, Plasencia’s wife, Marcela Tavantzis, alerted a flight attendant that her husband temporarily lost motor control and began speaking “gibberish”, according to the statement.

A transient ischemic attack is likened to a temporary stroke and means there is a temporary lack of blood flow to part of a person’s brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The symptoms of a TIA are similar to an ischemic stroke, which can include one-sided weakness, slurred speech and blurred vision. Though most TIA symptoms subside within minutes, they are often a warning sign that a stroke is possible or even imminent, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

“People may have a stroke shortly after a TIA, but not realise what the TIA was,” the Cleveland Clinic says on its website.