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What are the odds of two passengers on two separate flights fracturing their ankles when getting up to use the lavatory or allow a fellow passenger to do the same? This month, one passenger on JetBlue and one on American have both filed lawsuits against the respective airlines over the injuries they sustained in flight.
On July 23rd, a 59-year-old passenger fractured her ankle on JetBlue flight B6 121 from New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS). She got out of her seat to use the lavatory, but got tangled in a seatbelt. This caused her to fall and injure her ankle. The passenger’s husband helped her back to her seat and a nurse assisted once she returned. According to the lawsuit, crew did not administer first aid or help the injured passenger. The court filing reads that airline staff in Nassau discouraged her from seeking medical attention in the Bahamas and recommended she wait until she returned to New York for assistance. The couple then took this advice and bought tickets to immediately return home for medical evaluation. She further claims that she was left to navigate immigration and get to the new flight in a broken wheelchair. The crew on the return flight also did not assist her with her medical needs, per the complaint. She is now suing for $170,000 in damages.
Business Insider reports that an American Airlines’ passenger claims that he broke his ankle while letting someone out of his row to use the lavatory last year. He was injured after falling during turbulence while flying from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) in August 2023. The lawsuit was recently filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The passenger claims that “severe turbulence” caused him to fall and fracture a fibula in his left ankle. It further states that American Airlines failed to avoid the turbulence, failed to properly warn passengers, and violated federal aviation regulations.
Anthony’s Take: These unrelated accidents saw two passengers fracture ankles. I’m not sure how either is really the fault of the airlines other than not providing the female passenger with a working wheelchair and some bad advice.
(Image Credits: DragonImages, JetBlue, and Ross Sokolovski.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
