Source: Internal Release
The family of woman who died in a Spirit Airline’s flight from Michigan to Nevada retains Benson & Bingham. The woman died of a heart attack or ventricle fibrillation, and it is alleged the airline did not have an external defibrillator on board as required under Federal Law and/or failed to use one if they did have it on board. As of 2005, all airlines are required to possess a defibrillator under CFR Sec. A121.1 . The American Heart Association (AHA) states that, after approximately three to five minutes, irreversible brain tissue damage may begin to occur. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated (by defibrillation), the chance of survival decreases by 7 percent per minute in the first 3 minutes, and decreases by 10 percent per minute as time advances beyond (3) minutes.
The law requires that to prevent further injury all airlines have an Automated External Defibrillators on board. At least one approved automated external defibrillator, legally marketed in the United States in accordance with Food and Drug Administration requirements, that must:
- 1. Be stored in the passenger cabin.,
- 2. On and after April 30,2005, meet FAA Technical Standard Order requirements for power sources for electronic devices used in aviation as approved by the Administrator, and
- 3. Be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. AED’s or Automatic External Defibrillators Save lives and improve the chances one may have in an life saving situation involving heart attacks.
Unfortunately, airplane accidents are inevitable with all the flights that come through McCarran Airport. Even sadder was the fact this woman lost her life.