48-year-old Theresa Hines went to the use the bathroom at the beginning of her flight and never came back alive. It's the actions of American Airlines afterward that turn this already sad story into either an inappropriate scene or a scramble to save her life, depending on who you ask.
A passenger noticed that Hines had gone to the lavatory in the back of the plane midway through the flight, but as the crew prepared for landing she had not yet returned to her seat. The observant passenger alerted the crew, where the doors were opened when she didn't respond after multiple checks on her safety. After they were able to open the door and get to her, Hine's body was dragged down the aisle, partially nude, in front of the full flight.
"The flight attendants could have thrown a blanket on her," said Art Endress, a passenger on the flight.
One passenger saw something completely different, "She was not half-naked," countered, "Her pants were unfastened, but I saw nothing that any of the airline or EMT staff did inappropriately."
American Airlines, according to the StarTribune, themselves confirm that the woman was merely wearing underwear and a shirt when she was removed from the flight and that in medical emergencies they defer to the expertise of EMT and trained medical staff when possible.
While "partially nude" and "t-shirt and underwear" sounds like a thin line, it's safe to say that maintaining dignity during a public death should be considered a priority second only to saving the distressed life. Some wondered, with the normalcy of viewing black bodies as immodest, would Hines had been covered properly and dragged down the aisle had she not been black?
The medical team worked to save her life but it's believed she expired due to cardiac arrest. Our thoughts are with the family and we can only hope going forward that this has brought some attention to a protocol during such emergencies.