Sick passenger died after flight crew delayed getting help in CO, suit says (2025)

A flight crew didn’t request medical aid for a man experiencing an “escalating medical crisis” until the plane reached its gate in Colorado and the other passengers got off, a new lawsuit says.

John William Cannon, 62, from Kentucky, went into cardiac arrest on the way to a hospital and died the next day, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Colorado.

The lawsuit, brought by Cannon’s son, Kyle, names American Airlines and a regional carrier as defendants.

American Airlines told McClatchy News in an April 24 email that it was reviewing the complaint.

Cannon flew from Kentucky to Colorado in spring 2023 to attend a celebration of life for his late partner, attorney Joe LoRusso told McClatchy News in an April 24 email.

LoRusso and Jessica McBryant, both of Ramos Law, are representing Cannon’s son.

Cannon had a “syncopal event” during the first leg of the trip to Dallas, Texas, according to the complaint.

“After suffering the event, John was helped to the floor of the jet bridge at Gate 12 in Terminal B of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport,” according to the complaint, which said he was then “released to make his connecting flight” minutes later.

He was transferred while he “exhibited concerning signs of medical distress,” the complaint said.

Then on a flight from Dallas to Durango, Colorado, or upon landing, “Mr. Cannon entered a stage of medical crisis which resulted in him becoming unresponsive,” according to the complaint.

But “despite Mr. Cannon’s escalating medical crisis,” the crew on the flight “delayed requesting medical assistance until after the aircraft had landed, taxied to the gate, and all other passengers had deplaned,” according to the lawsuit.

While being taken by ambulance to a hospital, Cannon “suffered sinus bradycardia, which progressed to ventricular fibrillation arrest,” the complaint said, noting that he was pronounced dead early the next day.

His death was the “result of the negligence and fault of the defendants,” who didn’t do enough to help him or get him timely help, the complaint said.

The complaint was filed March 31 in state court in Colorado before being moved to federal court April 22, records show.

“The circumstances of this case represent a tangible manifestation of a corporate culture at American Airlines that prioritizes inaction over intervention,” LoRusso and McBryant, the attorneys for Kyle Cannon, said in a statement provided to McClatchy News.

“This ingrained culture, to which John Cannon tragically fell victim, underscores a systemic issue the family is determined to address, both in seeking justice for John and in advocating for broader organizational change,” they said.

The lawsuit seeks damages and attorney fees.