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Widower sues airlines for obese wife’s death abroad

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A New York man whose wheelchair-bound, morbidly obese wife died last year after she was denied a spot on three different flights home from Europe sued the airlines on Monday for $6 million.

Vilma Soltesz reportedly weighed 425 pounds, had an amputated leg and suffered from diabetes and kidney disease, according to Reuters.

She was found dead at her vacation home in Hungary in October after several aircraft crews repeatedly failed to accommodate her size despite telling her they could do so, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan.

She was found dead at her vacation home in Hungary in October after several aircraft crews repeatedly failed to accommodate her size despite telling her they could do so, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan.

The lawsuit accused the three airlines of wrongful death and gross negligence.

The couple left their Bronx home in September on a Delta Air Lines plane, securing two seats for Vilma and one for her husband Janos, and arrived safely in Budapest on a vacation, according to the lawsuit.

By October 2, Vilma Soltesz sought treatment at a hospital in Hungary when she fell ill, according to the lawsuit. She was released and told she could fly home but to see her doctor immediately upon her arrival, according to the lawsuit.

Read more here.

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