Flight crew delayed asking for medical help for man in crisis who later died, lawsuit alleges

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A 62-year-old man who suffered an “escalating medical crisis” onboard an American Airlines-affiliated flight died after its crew “delayed requesting medical assistance until after the aircraft had landed, taxied to the gate, and all other passengers had deplaned,” a lawsuit says. 

The filing against American Airlines and its regional carrier Envoy Air in Colorado federal court is seeking at least $75,000 in damages following the death of John Cannon, a passenger from Kentucky who was traveling to Durango-La Plata County Airport. 

“The untimely passing of John William Cannon on April 29, 2023, was the direct and proximate result of the negligence and fault of the Defendants,” reads the lawsuit filed this week on behalf of his son. 

It claims that American Airlines and Envoy Air “breached their duties of care and were negligent in causing the death” of Cannon by “Failing to give reasonable first aid onboard the aircraft” and “Failing to prioritize John William Cannon in the deboarding process once he exhibited signs of extreme physical distress onboard the aircraft,” among other alleged actions. 

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John William Cannon died in April 2023 after he flew on an Envoy Air plane, a lawsuit said. (Ramos Law)

American Airlines told Fox News Digital, “We are reviewing the complaint.” 

Attorneys representing Cannon’s son told Fox News Digital that “The circumstances of this case represent a tangible manifestation of a corporate culture at American Airlines that prioritizes inaction over intervention. 

“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,” Joseph LoRusso and Jessica McBryant of Ramos Law said in a joint statement.

Attorneys wrote in the lawsuit that leading up to his death, Cannon first boarded a plane from Louisville to Dallas and “during the flight, and/or at the time of deboarding, John suffered a syncopal event” — or loss of consciousness. 

“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. Two minutes and fifteen seconds later, John was released to make his connecting flight,” it continued. 

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Then on that flight from Dallas to Durango – which was operated by Envoy Air — Cannon “entered a stage of medical crisis which resulted in him becoming unresponsive,” according to the lawsuit. 

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American Airlines signage is seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in July 2024. The airline told Fox News Digital on Friday that it is “reviewing the complaint.”  (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Despite Mr. Cannon’s escalating medical crisis, the AAL4896 flight crew delayed requesting medical assistance until after the aircraft had landed, taxied to the gate, and all other passengers had deplaned,” the lawsuit alleged. 

A flight crew member “called emergency services and reported Mr. Cannon as being in and out of consciousness with labored breathing” and “firefighters with Durango La Plata Fire contacted Mr. Cannon and initiated oxygen treatment prior to removing him from the aircraft with members of an EMS team,” it added. 

An American Airlines Airbus A321 taxis at Los Angeles International Airport on March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif.   (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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“During transport to Mercy Medical Center, Mr. Cannon suffered sinus bradycardia, which progressed to ventricular fibrillation arrest. The ambulance crew performed approximately ten minutes of chest compressions, administered two doses of epinephrine, and delivered multiple Automated External Defibrillator shocks. Despite these interventions, Mr. Cannon did not achieve Return of Spontaneous Circulation,” the lawsuit concluded. “The following morning, at 0129 hours, Mr. Cannon was pronounced dead.” 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.