Family of woman paralysed after jet bridge fall rage at airline’s explanation

2022-07-15

A Florida woman was left paralysed from the neck down in an unfortunate accident that saw her fall in a jet bridge.

Gaby Assouline, 24, suffers from a muscular disorder that limits her mobility and so often requires help when travelling.

She had planned a trip in February from South Florida to Denver, Colorado to visit her sister, and had formally requested the use of a wheelchair and help from staff at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

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However, Southwest Airlines claims Gaby refused help at the airport.

"It makes no sense," her mother, Sandra, told The New York Post.

"We requested assistance from them, we assumed they would help her. It’s just ludicrous.

"She spent so much time planning this out. I got a buddy pass and was with her the whole time until we got to the gate."

In a lawsuit against the airline, Gaby said that no one helped her navigate the jet bridge to her plane and that she hit a bump, causing her to fall out of her wheelchair to the floor.

She landed on her head, cracked a vertebra, and is now paralyzed from the neck down.

Gaby has now been hospitalised for more than four months and cannot speak, communicating with doctors and her family by mouthing words.

Sandra said: "She tells me that she just wants to wake up from this nightmare. You can see it in her eyes. It’s just heartbreaking.

"She will never be the same," she added.

Gaby's attorney, Robert Solomon, said Southwest argued in court that she refused any help in negotiating the corridor — a claim he blasted as illogical.

Solomon said Gaby had sought out and received help from staff from the moment she arrived at the airport to her arrival at the departure gate, and that she has told the attorney she never refused help.

Solomon also noted this isn't the first lawsuit related to jet bridge mishaps and that it was seemed inconceivable that airline staff would not guide Gaby down the passage in her wheelchair.

Southwest said its top priority was the safety of its "people and customers both on the ground and in the air."

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"We have reviewed the customer’s initial account of her travel experience and have offered a response directly to those involved," the US airline said.

"Southwest will continue to work with the customer and other involved parties to investigate and address the facts and circumstances relating to her travel experience."

Doctors say it's unlikely that Gaby will regain function below her neck, leaving the family scrambling to ready their home for the level of care the young woman will need when she leaves hospital.

Gaby's family, including her five siblings, have been consoling her at her bedside since the accident.

Meanwhile a GoFundMe page has raised more than $115,000 (£97,000) to help the family with medical and other costs.

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