Florida woman sues Southwest Airlines for fall that left her paralyzed
Fort Lauderdale, FL – A disabled Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines after a tragic accident at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport left her paralyzed from the neck down. Last February, Gaby Assouline, 24, went to the airport to catch a flight to Denver. She asked a member of the airline’s staff to push her wheelchair down the corridor, but her request was ignored. The woman had no other option but to try to negotiate the jet bridge on her own. Unfortunately, she fell over, landed on her head, and was left paralyzed as a result.
The young woman suffers from a disorder that turns muscle tissue into bone, which severely limits her mobility, especially during a flare-up.
According to the lawsuit filed in Broward County, Southwest Airlines offers assistance to passengers with mobility issues. At least on paper. The company’s policy says that individuals using wheelchairs can ask for help, both inside the airport terminal and to board the plane.
In Ms.Assouline’s case, they refused to help and no one batted an eye when the woman tried to go on the jet bridge in a wheelchair.
The girl’s mother, Sandra Assouline, says Gaby cracked her neck vertebrae in the fall and is now forced to use a feeding tube.
“She can’t speak because she has a tube down her throat, and she has no movement below her neck. The fear and pain she is showing in her eyes when she wakes up in those brief moments of clarity is too much to bear,” the mother wrote on the GoFundMe page she set up.
“After the hospital, she will need to be moved to a live-in inpatient rehab facility where she will learn to live with her new reality. Gaby will need occupational, speech, physical, psychological, and many other therapies in order to regain what she’s lost,” Sandra Assouline added.
What damages can you recover in a personal injury claim?
If you’re injured in any type of accident caused by someone else’s negligence you can seek economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages
These are meant to cover medical expenses and lost wages, past and future. For instance, if someone breaks a leg and the fracture heals in six weeks, they will get compensation for the medical bills they incurred and the wages they lost while they were unable to work. However, in a case like that of Gaby Assouline, the claim must include all future medical costs, such as rehabilitation treatments or at-home care. When someone is left with a disability that prevents them from working, an experienced Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer will get an economic expert to calculate the value of their future lost earnings.
Non-economic damages
These are known as pain and suffering damages. The victim deserves to be compensated for the loss of enjoyment in life, the humiliation of having to live with an impairment or disfigurement, the physical pain their injuries caused them, and the mental distress. In Florida, there is no cap on pain and suffering damages, unless the lawsuit involves medical malpractice.
If you were recently injured in an accident in Broward County, schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at the Madalon Law firm, with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Contact info:
Phone : (877) 486-2883
(954) 923-0072
Fort Lauderdale Office
100 N. Federal Hwy #CU5
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Miami Office
150 SE 2nd Ave, Suite 300
Miami FL 33131
