Posted on 11/26/2012 11:23:14 AM PST by billorites
A sickly, obese Bronx woman was left stranded in Hungary then died from kidney failure after airline officials booted her from three New York-bound flights because she was too fat, her husband says.
“All we wanted was to come back home to get her treatment,” said a grieving Janos Soltesz, a Staten Island Ferry security guard whose 56-year-old wife, Vilma, died in Hungary nine days after she was kicked off the first of three jets.
Vilma, who weighed about 425 pounds, had only one leg and used a wheelchair. She traveled with her husband of 33 years to Hungary on Delta and KLM airlines on Sept. 17.
They spent several relaxing weeks at a vacation home they owned in the Hungarian countryside. It was a trip they took almost every year.
Before the journey, their travel agent informed Delta of Vilma’s condition and bought two tickets for her and one for Janos.
They planned to come home Oct. 15 so Vilma could resume treatment with the doctors she had been seeing for years.
But the couple, both natives of Hungary, were told Vilma couldn’t be accommodated by KLM after they boarded the jet home, Janos said.
“They tried to fit her into the back of the plane, but they didn’t have an extension to secure her,” Janos, 56, said.
Her illness, a combination of kidney disease and diabetes, caused her to gain water weight, and the airline said it didn’t have a seat-belt extender for her, Janos said.
He was also told the seat back couldn’t handle his wife’s weight.
“It appeared on the passenger’s return that it was not physically possible for her to board the aircraft, despite every effort made by KLM to this end. A seat or belt extender did not offer a solution, either,” said KLM
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Oh, we kept him in NY. Great hospital. He was in ICU at Presbyterian/Weill Cornell... one of the best in the world. He died there. He was too far advanced in his pulmonary disease. We just wanted him home. We have good hospitals here too.
So very sorry for your loss. Of course, there are great hospitals throughout the USA (until next year, maybe). Bless him.
Probably, I remember in NYC a woman got sick in a walk-up apartment. She was 525lbs and could not fit thru the apartmant doors. The fire dept had to remove a window and frame and use a crane to get her out.
I’m very surprised you think this is funny. You’re usually more sensitive than this. She was a fellow human being.
True. I apologize. I don’t think it is funny she passed away but I think the author was being snarky in the way he authored the article.
The airline didn’t renege. They were willing to fly her back, but unable to, due to her condition. You can’t hold them responsible if she was the one unable to fly.
If you look at photos of her you can tell it is not simple obesity. Look at her thighs ... they look almost normal. Her belly is swelled up.
I feel sorry for her.
Months passed between the flights - she increased in size while on vacation. Why didn't they try FedEx?
“A human being has just died. Try to show some decent respect — even if you have to fake it.”
Thank you.
More photos here. I can see why it was so difficult to seat her even if she did have two seats. I can’t imagine how she would have fit between her row and the one in front of her.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/conditions/vilma-soltesz-425-pounds-dies-after-being-kicked-3-airplanes-her-weight
Gotcha, Naps. I didn’t read the original article.
It’s not the role of the USAF to transport obese people around
425 lbs.....I doubt Chris Christie is far off that mark.
Yes they could have. Were they asked?
You can buy travel insurance when traveling to a foreign country, and buy a rider for medi-vac if it’s needed. That will get you transportation to a proper medical facility to treat whatever condition you have.
Pay the premium to certain executive insurance companies, and it will send an armed commando team to rescue and evacuate you. In fact, if you have kids who think it’s a peachy idea to backpack in Nepal or some other backward sh*thole, be certain to get both a sea and air rescue rider along with a hostage clause. Three Australians thought it would be a blast to hike though Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge nabbed them and asked for a ransom. The ransom was refused and the commies shot them dead.
Lots of people think America isn’t that great, but there are places a whole bunch worse.
They bought 3 seats for her...and the flight attendants couldn’t get her out of the wheelchair and into the seats, even with the assistance of the local fire department.
lol. You did. We need to chat more often. I miss our conversations a lot!
“In the end....the lack of a seat-belt was the least of her health concerns so why waste any time with it ???”
Because nobody else wants to be landed upon by a 425 pound women who goes flying around the cabin in the event of bad turbulence or some kind of incident or accident.
If things are going so bad that you’re going to need a seat belt on an airplane....it’s already too late.
Seat belts on an airplane are to help the authorities identify you in the wreckage, not save your life.
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