How did Gaby Assouline die? Disabled woman 'thrown' from chair at Southwest Airlines walkway dead at 25
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Gabrielle "Gaby" Assouline, the disabled woman who claimed to have been paralyzed after falling from her wheelchair while deplaning Southwest flight has died after fighting for 11 months in the hospital. The family stated that she was thrown from the airline's walkway after the staffers refused to help her.
In February 2022, the 25-year-old Florida woman used a wheelchair for her travel from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Denver. Assouline who suffered from a genetic muscle disease was denied assistance on her way through the corridor while boarding the flight, the Daily Mail reported. According to an ongoing lawsuit, Assouline's and her mother's request for help was refused and was asked to go on her own through the jet bridge.
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How did Gaby Assouline die?
As Assouline was denied assistance, she was on her own and was 'thrown' from her wheelchair. Causing multiple injuries, she was left paralyzed after she landed on her head. With paralysis from the neck down, the fall broke her neck, damaged her spinal cord, and had to remain bedridden for 11 months and died on Sunday, January 24, according to her GoFundMe page.
“Gaby was not alone at the end. We were all blessed to be with her bedside, crying, praying and sharing Gaby stories,” wrote the fundraiser page set up by her mother Sandra Assouline. Talking about her daughter who was an active person before the tragic plane incident recalled that she had to be fed using a feeding tube and lost the ability to speak. At the time, Sandra said, “The fear and pain she is showing in her eyes when she wakes up in those brief moments of clarity is too much to bear.”
What is Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva?
Assouline's rare condition called Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) turned her muscle tissue into bone and affected her mobility. According to reports, it is a rare musculoskeletal condition where muscles and tendons are gradually transformed into bone. In court papers, Southwest contended that the disabled woman did not request but refused help. However, the use of a wheelchair was formally requested along with seeking help from the staffers for moving around the airport, according to her mother, the Daily Mail reported.
Following the death of Assouline, Southwest Airlines acknowledged and issued a statement. “Southwest offers its sincere condolences to Ms Assouline’s family, friends, and all whose lives she touched. We have a more than 51-year commitment to caring for our People and Customers and remain engaged with the parties involved,” read the statement.
‘She put up the greatest fight’
"Gaby's life was tragically interrupted 11 months ago but she put up the greatest fight with grace, friends, laughter, and the strong belief that she would leave the hospital and come home very soon," the GoFundMe page read about how the family hoped for her to return back home before her condition began declining, and added, “Unfortunately, complications robbed Gaby of that ending.”