A DISABLED woman who was reportedly paralyzed after falling from a Southwest Airlines jet bridge has died 11 months after the accident.
Gaby Assouline, 25, broke her neck when her wheelchair allegedly got caught while boarding a plane and she was thrown onto her head after staff refused her help, her family claimed in a lawsuit.
Assouline's family was already involved in the lawsuit with the airline before her death on Sunday.
Assouline had a genetic disease that impacted her mobility but she only used her wheelchair for longer trips before the accident, her family said.
She spent 11 months hospitalized after the accident and could only communicate using her eyes before she passed away, according to her family.
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“Gaby was not alone at the end,” reads the family’s GoFundMe page.
“We were all blessed to be with her bedside, crying, praying and sharing Gaby stories.”
According to The New York Post, the lawsuit demanded that Southwest Airlines pay for Assouline’s treatment in full, and was also looking for compensation due to her suffering.
It stated that Assouline’s accident occurred in February 2022, while traveling from South Florida to Denver.
She was in an electric wheelchair and asked an employee for help in order to reach the plane.
The lawsuit claims the employee denied Assouline’s request for help.
Assouline boarded the jet bridge when the chair hit a junction and flipped over, throwing her off.
She allegedly landed on her head and was paralyzed from the head down.
“I got a call from the officer at the scene that she had suffered a devastating fall in the airport and was being rushed to the Intensive Care Unit,” her mother, Sandra Assouline, wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“Nothing could prepare me for seeing my daughter in that hospital bed, unconscious, with that many tubes attached to her, helping stabilize her.”
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Assouline had a rare disorder called Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, which turns muscle tissue into a bone, impacting her mobility.
When reached out for comment, Southwest Airlines said: “Southwest offers its sincere condolences to Ms. Assouline’s family, friends, and all whose lives she touched.
“We have a more than 51-year commitment to caring for our People and Customers and remain engaged with the parties involved.”
The airline claims Assouline denied the help that was offered to her by one of their employees.
Previously, the airline acknowledged Assouline’s lawsuit.
“Southwest Airlines’ primary priority is the safety of our people and customers both on the ground and in the air,” said a spokesman to the Dallas Morning News.
“We have reviewed the customer’s initial account of her travel experience and have offered a response directly to those involved.”
