Too fat to fly
Source: Miguel Ángel Sanz en Unsplash
Delta and KLM sued over 'too fat to fly' Vilma Soltesz
The husband of a US woman who was too
big to be flown home from Europe - where she later died - is to sue the airlines
involved for damages.
Vilma Soltesz, who weighed about 30st (193kg), was refused a place on two flights in October.
She died of kidney failure before a suitable flight could be found, after refusing treatment from local doctors.
Delta Airlines said every effort was made to accommodate her but it had been "physically unable" to get her aboard.
But Peter Ronai, the lawyer acting for her husband, Janos, told CBS: "They [the airlines] took on the responsibility to get her to Hungary, it's their responsibility to get her back."
Mrs Soltesz needed to return to New York from her holiday home in Hungary to resume medical treatment.
She suffered from kidney disease and diabetes and reportedly "did not trust" Hungarian doctors.
But the Dutch airline KLM was unable to get her on board a flight on which she had booked two seats to accommodate her.
She was then told to drive to Prague in the Czech Republic where she would be given seats on a larger Delta Airlines flight.
But, according to Mr Ronai, she was unable to be belted into that plane and "the captain came out of the cockpit and made her get off".
Mrs Soltesz died of kidney failure before an alternative flight could be found.
In a statement Delta Airlines and KLM said they had done everything possible to assist the family.
"Our records indicate Delta staff in Prague made repeated attempts for nearly an hour to board the customer, but they were unable to get her onboard the aircraft," Delta claimed.
Mr Soltesz is seeking $6m (£3.7m; 4.6m euros) in damages from Delta and KLM.
Vocabulary:
to sue sb -
to refuse -
to take on (a responsibility) -
to trust sb/sth -
to suffer from (a disease) -
the cockpit -
to get off (the plane) -
to seek damages -
Do you think her husband should get damages?
to sue sb -
to refuse -
to take on (a responsibility) -
to trust sb/sth -
to suffer from (a disease) -
the cockpit -
to get off (the plane) -
to seek damages -
Do you think her husband should get damages?
Comments
In my opinion the husband should get damages but only because the airlines accepted to get the woman to Hungary, at first. In this case they don’t have any excuse for not getting her back to US.
But I think that everybody must know what our limits are and if I had been that woman I had never flown to Europe. Besides, she didn’t want to be treated by the Hungarian doctors!
It's a mad, mad, mad world.
The lady didn't die because they couldn't fit her in the plane. Google her name and see just how obese she was.
People try to blame others, any time a tragic event happens.
In my opinion the husband should get damages but only because the airlines accepted to get the woman to Hungary in the first place. In this case they don’t have any excuse for not getting her back to the US.
But I think that everybody must know what their limits are and if I had been that woman I would never have flown to Europe.
There was a problem with the "recent comments". It seems that it is fixed now.