Theresa Hines, 48, died on Monday, just hours after she was dragged by EMTs half naked down the center aisle of a flight that had landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the Star Tribune reported.
When the American Airlines flight from Dallas was preparing to land in Minneapolis on Monday, flight attendants noticed that a passenger was still in the restroom. After those on board realized Hines was in need of medical attention, EMTs came on board the flight.
A passenger told the Star Tribune that he was distressed by what they saw.
“The EMT was out of line,” passenger Art Endress told the paper. “The flight attendants could have thrown a blanket on her” as her body went past some of the 150 or so seated passengers.
In a statement to the Star Tribune, American Airlines said the woman was taken off the plane on a portable stretcher wearing a shirt and underwear. Endress disputed that claim.
Endress said that an EMT stood behind her head and dragged Hines down the aisle.
American Airlines officials told the Star Tribune that a “team of flight attendants, a doctor, three nurses and other folks tended to our passenger before the flight landed.”
“Our team and others did what they could do to preserve her modesty while working to save her life," the airline added.
To read the Star Tribune's full report, click here.
