Passenger sues American Airlines, says she fainted on flight that made 2 emergency landings
A passenger who said she fainted because of a lack of oxygen on an American Airlines flight that made two emergency landings has filed a negligence lawsuit against the Fort Worth-based airline.
Theresa DeMaria, the passenger, alleges in the suit filed Thursday, Feb. 13, that American Airlines continued operating the flight despite knowing about the cabin pressure issue, her attorney, Mark Lindquist, said in a news release.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.
DeMaria was on a flight that was supposed to go from Chicago to Phoenix in January 2024. The plane made its first emergency landing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a mechanical problem caused cabin pressure issues, she said in the release.
About four hours after they landed in Tulsa, American Airlines employees told passengers that the Boeing airplane was fixed but that mechanics needed an additional three hours to test and confirm this, DeMaria said. However, 30 minutes later the airline re-boarded DeMaria and other passengers, the release states.
DeMaria overheard a flight attendant say that she “doesn’t know if the plane was fixed,” according to the release.
“After an emergency landing, a plane shouldn’t go back into service until the problem is fixed. Hoping it might be fixed isn’t good enough,” Lindquist said.
DeMaria shared in two videos posted to her TikTok account in January and March 2024 that during the flight she experienced symptoms including chest pressure, nausea, blurred vision and difficulty breathing. She said she pressed the flight attendant call button around the same time as several other passengers who required medical attention.
There was “chaos” on the plane when the captain announced a second emergency landing at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, according to the law firm’s statement.
DeMaria said that she tried to stand, but fainted due to oxygen depletion. She was given oxygen through a mask, put in a wheelchair, and then carried on a stretcher by paramedics, she said. Other passengers also had to be taken off the plane on stretchers, she said.
“Myself and 10 or so others are taken off on a stretcher. What is happening with these planes???” DeMaria wrote on one of her TikTok posts.
During the flight, she “was texting her children as she feared for her life,” the release stated.
The lawsuit alleges that American Airlines failed to ensure that the aircraft was safe, failed to properly repair and test the cabin pressurization system after the first emergency landing, and failed to put passenger safety ahead of profits.
DeMaria, who is a travel journalist and professional wardrobe stylist, said on her Tiktok that her work requires frequent flying. “I now have massive anxiety towards flying,” she said, adding that she now needs to take medication to fly.
DeMaria along with her attorney shared her experience in an appearance on the Dr. Phil show, which is filmed in Fort Worth for his Merit Street Media network.