The family of a British tourist who died from diabetes complications while staying at the Aria Las Vegas in 2023 is suing the companies involved, claiming they didn’t do enough to stop his death.
William Howell fell ill while at Harry Reid International Airport in August 2023 and was not allowed to fly. He was assessed by medical workers and allowed to return to his room at Aria Las Vegas. Later that night, he died from his medical issues.
A lawsuit over the incident was filed in Nevada’s Eigth Judicial District Court late last week.
It says that staff from Las Vegas-based Community Ambulance, the Aria Casino Hotel, and its security contractors are all at fault in Howell’s death. Court filings say Howell’s condition was not adequately assessed by half a dozen parties, and he should have been sent to a hospital for treatment, a place where he likely would have survived.
The suit is seeking compensation for punitive, emotional, and financial damages, as well as funeral and legal expenses.
The Death
Howell was a diagnosed type 1 diabetic and had lived with the condition for many years. On August 30, 2023, he was on his way back to London, England, after visiting Las Vegas, when he fell ill shortly after boarding a flight at Harry Reid International Airport.
Virgin Airlines staff did not allow the flight to take off with Howell aboard. They arranged for help to take him off the plane and called for medical assistance at the departure gate.
A Community Ambulance medical team arrived and assessed Howell. Court documents said that Howell was at this point in a wheelchair and visibly ill and distressed. It alleges that the two medics spent less than two minutes assessing Howell, before signing off — at his request — that he didn’t need a hospital visit.
The medics “did not properly inform of the consequences of failing to seek attention, did not properly assess mental capacity, and did not perform the proper testing,” the lawsuit says.
After refusing a hospital assessment, Howell booked a taxi back to Aria Las Vegas. Court documents allege that several more Aria staff members saw how ill he was upon arrival, but he was not booked for any further medical attention.
An Aria security team member helped Howell to his room at around 10 p.m. He died sometime overnight, and was discovered the next afternoon after relatives in London called the Aria when he failed to arrive back home.
The Lawsuit
The legal action was filed on Thursday, October 31 in Nevada’s Eighth District Judicial Court. As well as the Aria and Community Ambulance, the suit also names the casino resort’s owners, MGM Resorts International, and their contracted security company, Roe Security.
The five-count lawsuit was filed on behalf of Emma Vassallo and Howell’s two sons, Louis and Jack Howell. It is not clear exactly how much they are seeking in damages. No defendants named have yet commented on the lawsuit.
As they accommodate hundreds of thousands of guests a year in one of the world’s most-visited destinations, Las Vegas casino resorts have been the target of wrongful death lawsuits in the past.
In 2022, a Florida lawyer had a heart attack at a Wynn Las Vegas blackjack table, and his relatives sued the Las Vegas Strip resort, claiming wrongful death.
Their 2023 lawsuit says David Jagolinzer was slumped unconscious at the table for 15 minutes before help was called. It added that a dealer continued to deal cards at the table while Jagolinzer lay in urgent need of medical attention. He died in a hospital six months later from complications relating to the incident. That lawsuit is still ongoing, with Wynn denying the claims.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
