The family of a 75-year-old man have accused Spirit Airlines of abandoning a man with dementia, leading to his death. According to People, Marcos Humberto Vindel Osorio tragically died outside of a Houston airport.
He tragically died on June 8, 2024, after being struck by several vehicles near George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Osorio's family has since alleged that Spirit Airline staff didn't help him when he arrived in Houston.
Osorio had originally flew into Houston from Palmerola International Airport in Honduras. The lawsuit, which was filed on April 22, says that Spirit violated the Montreal Convention. This is an international treaty which says that airlines should be liable for injury and death. It applies to "all international carriage of persons, baggage, or cargo performed by aircraft for reward."
Osorio's family say that Spirit violated the convention as his death took place "in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking."
And they are suing for a slew of compensatory damages. These include: loss of companionship, society, and support for each plaintiff; loss of parental care, guidance, and support for the minor plaintiff; mental anguish suffered by each plaintiff; funeral and burial expenses; and all the other compensatory damages recoverable under the Montreal Convention.
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The Lawsuit Also Explained Everything That Happened With Spirit
The lawsuit went into great detail about the minute-by-minute of what happened to Osorio on his Spirit flight.
It says that Spirit originally agreed to help Osorio with airport assistance and deboarding the plane. But, when they touched down in Houston at 6:49pm local time, Osorio apparently had no help from the airline. Instead, he just "got off the plane and walked through the airport without any supervision, assistance, or escort."
The filing continues that his family didn't get to meet him in the airport. Upon realising he was missing, his son asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection about where his father was. Their reply was that Osorio was processed at 7:43pm, but without anyone accompanying him.
The search for Osorio lasted over three hours, before he was tragically found dead in a roadway near the airport.
This is a truly tragic case. We hope his family get justice.
