VIDEO: Mother Of Baby Who Overheated On United Airlines Flight Speaks Out

The mother of a 4-month-old baby who overheated on a United Airlines flight last month spoke out about the incident in a new ABC interview that aired Thursday. After the child began screaming, his eyes rolled in the back of his head before he fell “limp” with shallow breathing as a result of the temperature in the cabin while the plane was taxiing. France claims she was forced to wait 15 minutes before she was able to exit the plane and be rushed to an emergency room, where the infant was hospitalized.

France revealed in the new interview that she feared for her infant son’s life aboard the Texas-bound flight from Denver International Airport during a heatwave. Flight crew let France and her son off the plane to cool off during a delay, with the pair eventually returning to the plane some 20 minutes later to await departure. But the flight was again delayed, at which time her son’s health reportedly began deteriorating at a rapid pace. She recalled to ABC that it was “extremely hot” on the plane and added that “everyone was complaining.”

“A mom knows, and he made a cry that I’ve never heard before,” France told ABC News. “His coloring — I’ve never seen that color before. He was screaming, and then he just stopped. And my son went limp in my arms.”

Read: United Airlines Apologizes To Colorado Mother Whose Infant Son Fell Ill Aboard Delayed Flight

France said she then requested an ambulance, but it was another 15 minutes before she was able to exit the carrier. In the absence of stairs to exit the plane and no jetway, she was unable to leave the aircraft. When asked if she feared for her son’s life, she replied, “I thought I was going to lose my son.”

“They looked at me and said, ‘We can’t get you off the plane.’ That was the worst moment of my life,” she said.

Ultimately, the child was able to receive medical care and was discharged from the hospital the same day. United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to International Business Times.

“This should never have happened,” a United Airlines spokesperson said. “We are profoundly sorry to our customer and her child for the experience they endured. We are actively looking into what happened to prevent this from occurring again.”

The airline also confirmed the length of time that France awaited medical attention for her son as his condition continued to worsen, a situation she described as “chaos.”

“The pilot returned to the gate as the crew called for paramedics to meet the aircraft,” a spokesperson said. “Medical care was provided to the child within 16 minutes of the Captain’s call for paramedics.”

Read: Gay Father Plans To Sue United Airlines After Being Accused Of Molesting Son On Flight

Speaking with the Denver Post last month, France’s attorney David Rapoport revealed that he and his client planned to approach the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board with the incident. He also threatened a possible lawsuit against United Airlines.

“Cabin safety for infants and everyone else is part of an airline’s job,” Rapoport said. “Airlines owe their passengers the highest duty of care under federal and state law. Infant safety is part of that duty, and the airline here failed everyone aboard that overheated flight.”

According to ABC News, United Airlines has yet to apologize to France directly for the incident. When asked whether the airline's staff was prepared to deal with an emergency situation like hers, France replied “absolutely not.” She said she hopes that sharing her story will enact change to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

“I want to share it in hopes that another mom or parent never has to go through this ever again,” she said.