A lawsuit filed against Spirit Airlines alleges the now-defunct carrier “abandoned” a 75-year-old Honduran man with dementia at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport before he was later struck and killed by multiple vehicles.
Marcos Humberto Vindel Osorio’s family claims that, despite their informing Spirit staff that Osorio suffered from dementia and required assistance navigating the airport, no assistance was provided after the flight from Honduras to Houston arrived on June 8, 2024, leaving Osorio to make his way through the airport alone.
Osorio was later found dead on a roadway about an eight-minute drive from the airport, according to the lawsuit obtained by Newsweek. Plaintiffs claim Spirit’s alleged failure to provide the promised assistance directly led to his death and are seeking compensatory damages for his wrongful death.
When Newsweek contacted Spirit Airlines for comment, it declined, saying it “does not comment on litigation.”
Humberto Vindel Osorio Dies Outside Houston Airport
Osorio suffered from “mild dementia” that allegedly worsened under stress and unfamiliar conditions, according to the complaint.
He boarded Spirit Airlines Flight 1630 from Palmerola International Airport in Comayagua, Honduras, to Houston on June 8, 2024. Flight-tracking data cited in the lawsuit indicates the plane arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport around 6:49 p.m. local time.
The lawsuit states Osorio’s daughter and other family members were waiting at the airport to greet him, but became concerned when he did not emerge from the terminal. After contacting U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the family was told Osorio had cleared customs around 7:43 p.m. without any airline escort, according to the suit.
Police were contacted, and Osorio was later found dead at about 11:15 p.m. on a roadway near the airport after being struck by multiple vehicles.
The lawsuit describes the location as roughly an eight-minute drive from the airport and says it would have taken about two hours for an elderly person to walk there on foot.
Family Claims Dad Was ‘Abandoned’
The lawsuit alleges Osorio’s family specifically informed a Spirit Airlines agent in Honduras that Osorio had dementia and needed help deboarding the aircraft and navigating the Houston airport. According to the complaint, the airline employee “confirmed and acknowledged” that assistance would be provided.
Plaintiffs cite the Montreal Convention in the lawsuit, an international treaty that sets rules for airline liability during international travel to which both the United States and Honduras are signatories. Under the convention, airlines can be held financially responsible when a passenger is injured or killed during the process of boarding, flying, or getting off an aircraft. The lawsuit claims that Spirit is responsible for Osorio’s death because it took place “in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking.”
The filing includes a photograph of Osorio being transported through the Honduran airport in a wheelchair before boarding the flight, which plaintiffs argue showed his need for assistance was apparent to airline and airport personnel.
Plaintiffs claim Spirit failed to provide any escort or supervision after landing in Houston.
The complaint argues that “Spirit’s failure to provide the promised assistance—leaving a 75-year-old man with dementia to navigate alone from an international gate through customs and out of a major international airport at night—was the direct and proximate cause of Mr. Osorio’s death.”
The suit further alleges Spirit violated obligations under the Air Carrier Access Act, which governs assistance for passengers with disabilities, including cognitive impairments.
The lawsuit was filed just days before Spirit announced it would shut down after failing to secure a $500 million government bailout.
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