Cory Oswell, Brittany's husband, and her parents, Christopher and Tina Starks, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against American Airlines, according to their attorney Brad Cranshaw. Brittany Oswell, 25, of Lexington, S.C., suffered a pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest during a flight in April 2016 from Hawaii to South Carolina, with a connection in Dallas, according to the case filed in U.S. District Court. The lawsuit alleges that medical equipment aboard the plane didn’t work and that the crew ignored pleas from a doctor, who tried to help Oswell, to make an emergency landing before reaching Dallas. The lawsuit claims Oswell’s husband, Cory, paged the flight attendants on American Flight 102 about three hours into the trip after she became “dizzy and disoriented” and then fainted. The flight attendants then found a doctor among the other passengers who could further examine Oswell, who at that point was believed to have suffered a panic attack, according to the lawsuit. Brittany Oswell Submitted by GRIER, COX & CRANSHAW, LLC 
 
 Between one and three hours later, when the flight was over Albuquerque, N.M., Brittany went to use the bathroom, where she was discovered lying on the floor having vomited and defecated on herself, according to the lawsuit. She had vomited and defecated on herself in the lavatory, the lawsuit states, and the attendants and her husband proceeded to “render assistance.” 
 
 The lawsuit alleges that the doctor on the flight told the crew they needed to immediately divert the plane to the nearest airport so that Oswell could receive proper medical care. According to reports, the woman continued to recline her seat 
 
 Approximately 30 minutes after the doctor first asked for an emergency landing, the flight's captain "summoned the doctor to the flight deck," but continued on to Dallas-Fort Worth, which was 90 minutes away at that time, according to the lawsuit. Oswell’s pulse stopped, and the doctor and flight attendants tried to apply the defribrillator, but no shock was administered despite three attempts, according to the lawsuit. Approximately 5 minutes after the doctor returned from the cockpit, Brittany stopped breathing and her pulse stopped, according to the lawsuit, adding that the doctor attempted to use a defibrillator but no shock was administered despite three attempts. Those assisting Oswell performed CPR on her for the remainder of the trip, according to the lawsuit. On April 18, a doctor diagnosed Brittany with no brain activity, and she was removed from life support and declared dead, according to the lawsuit, which listed her cause of death as acute massive pulmonary embolism and cardiogenic shock. She never regained consciousness after her pulse stopped on the flight and was taken off life support on April 18, 2016, three days after being admitted to the hospital, according to the lawsuit. "When Brittany got on the plane, she stepped into her coffin," Brad Cranshaw, a lawyer representing the woman’s husband, Cory Oswell, and parents, Christopher and Tina Starks, told The State newspaper. “We absolutely felt like this was not taken very seriously,” Tina Starks told ABC News. “She’s no longer here to do anything with us, and it’s all because someone made a business decision to keep flying a plane when she needed emergency medical help that they could not provide because of inadequacies on board the flight." The airline hasn’t formally responded to the 12-page lawsuit filed April 18, but the company issued a statement: "We take the safety of our passengers very seriously, and we are looking into the details of the complaint."
– The parents and husband of a South Carolina nurse who died on a flight from Honolulu to Dallas have filed a wrongful death suit against American Airlines, reports ABC News. Brittany Oswell, 25, suffered a pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest during the April 2016 flight, according to the lawsuit, per USA Today. The suit alleges that an onboard defibrillator and two blood pressure cuffs were faulty and that the plane should have made an emergency landing. About three hours into the trip, Oswell’s husband, Cory, paged flight attendants when Oswell complained of dizziness and then fainted. Flight attendants found a doctor onboard who examined Oswell. The doctor initially believed that Oswell had experienced a panic attack. A few hours later, Oswell’s condition worsened and the doctor recommended that the flight be diverted. But by that time, the flight was 90 minutes away from Dallas and the pilots elected to continue the flight. Later, Oswell stopped breathing and the doctor attempted to resuscitate her, but the plane’s lifesaving equipment was not functioning, the suit says. After landing in Dallas, Oswell was transported to Baylor Medical Center, but never regained consciousness. Three days later, she was taken off life support. "When Brittany got on the plane, she stepped into her coffin," Brad Cranshaw, the family’s lawyer, tells the State. "It's a tragedy." American Airlines, which has not yet answered the lawsuit, issued the following statement: "We take the safety of our passengers very seriously and we are looking into the details of the complaint."