Gaby Assouline: Woman Left Paralyzed By Airline Walkway Fall Dies, Family Files Lawsuit

Gaby Assouline, a wheelchair-bound woman who was left paralyzed after falling headfirst from a Southwest airlines walkway after staffers denied her assistance, has died. The 25-year-old woman's family is now suing the company for damages.

The incident took place at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in February 2022. Assouline, who suffered from a genetic muscle disease and was using a wheelchair, had apparently asked an airline employee to help her with boarding, New York Post reported.

The staff refused to help her due to which Assouline had to travel down the jet bridge on her own. While navigating the walkway, her wheelchair hit a junction, toppling her by the impact and causing her to fall headfirst onto the ground below. As a result of this, Assouline suffered catastrophic injuries which left her paralyzed from the neck down, her family said in a lawsuit.

According to the woman's mother, Sandra, the traumatic brain injury caused her daughter loss of speech and she had to use a feeding tube for at least 11 months before she passed, the outlet reported.

"Gaby was not alone at the end," her family wrote on a GoFundMe page. "We were all blessed to be with her bedside, crying, praying, and sharing Gaby stories."

"The fear and pain she is showing in her eyes when she wakes up in those brief moments of clarity are too much to bear," her mom said at the time, NY Post reported.

The family is demanding answers from both Southwest Airlines and its contractor, G2 Secured Staff, for their callous behavior toward Gaby.

The airline has denied the allegations, stating that Gaby not demanded but refused help -- a statement that was strongly countered by the family's lawyer, Robert C. Solomon, NBC reported.

"And now they wanna say that she refused help," Solomon said. "Their agents owed her the highest duty of care, and they completely failed her. And it's upsetting to hear, 'well, we're gonna blame her.'"

"Southwest offers its sincere condolences to Ms. Assouline's family, friends, and all whose lives she touched," Southwest Airlines said in a statement. "We have a more than 51-year commitment to caring for our People and Customers and remain engaged with the parties involved."

As of Tuesday, Gaby's GoFundMe page received donations of more than $137,000.