The daughter of a 90-year-old man accused JetBlue’s crew of negligence after her father suffered a stroke on the plane. Diane Ancabe filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the airline, blaming JetBlue for her father’s untimely death.
JetBlue’s Stroke Response
John Allen Fletcher boarded Flight 321 from Boston to Palm Beach on April 22, 2025, to celebrate his 90th birthday, according to the lawsuit. According to Ancabe, her father drove himself to the airport, enjoyed lunch, and boarded his flight to Florida without assistance.
Fletcher was seated in seat 2F, giving him a clear view of the flight crew. Upon landing at Palm Beach International Airport, he suffered a major stroke and collapsed back into his seat.
Despite wearing a Medi-Alert medallion containing Ancabe’s contact information, she claims that “no effort” was made to contact the family.
Are They Heartless?
According to the lawsuit, JetBlue’s crew called a “non-emergency wheelchair attendant,” and Fletcher was “simply loaded onto a wheelchair, removed from the aircraft and taken to the baggage retrieval area of PBI and left to fend for himself.”
At the baggage claim area, Ancabe, who is a nurse, reunited with her father and noticed that he was having a stroke.
Ancabe claims that her father’s arm was nearly dragging on the floor as he was being wheeled to the baggage claim area.
She added, “I just couldn’t even believe it. Are they heartless? I don’t understand it… I can’t make sense of anything that took place that day.”
Ancabe asked a flight attendant to call 911; however, she was told they were not allowed to do so.
In the lawsuit, it was alleged that it took “approximately one hour or more” before emergency personnel arrived and transported her father to the hospital.
Thirteen days later, Fletcher died in the hospital. Ancabe is seeking a jury trial and at least $50,000 in damages.
