British family files wrongful death lawsuit against Aria | Casinos and games

Court records show the family of a British man who died of diabetic complications while staying at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the resort and a local medical transportation company.

William Howell’s estate is suing Aria Casino-Hotel, its parent company MGM Resorts International, Henderson-based Community Ambulance, two medical transportation workers and Roe Security Company in a Nevada court, alleging that Howell’s death resulted from diabetic ketoacidosis in August 2023 r. negligence and unlawful actions of the accused.

The five-count civil lawsuit was filed Thursday in Eighth District Court by Emma Vassallo – co-administrator of the estate – on behalf of Howell’s two surviving minor sons, Louis and Jack. Court documents show Vassallo and the Howell boys live in London.

The lawsuit seeks general, specific, punitive and monetary damages, funeral expenses and attorneys’ fees.

MGM did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. The Las Vegas-based company typically refrains from discussing pending legal issues in the media.

The complaint states that Howell, who has Type 1 diabetes, was at Harry Reid International Airport on Aug. 30, 2023, waiting for a Virgin Airlines flight to London when an airline employee noticed he was feeling unwell. The flight was delayed due to a medical emergency call.

Community Ambulance workers Alexandra Gangemi and Dominique Johnson arrived and checked Howell’s vital signs and observed high blood sugar levels. The lawsuit alleges that Gangemi and Johnson “spent no more than two minutes” with Howell, who uses a wheelchair, before he electronically signed a medical transport refusal form.

The lawsuit alleged that two Community Ambulance employees “failed to properly inform (Howell) of the consequences of failing to seek help, failed to properly evaluate (Howell’s) mental capacity, and failed to conduct appropriate tests.”

Virgin did not allow Howell to board the flight to London.

From the airport, Howell took an Uber to the Aria Casino Hotel, where he had previously stayed. After arriving at the parking area at Aria, Howell reportedly collapsed while exiting his Uber vehicle and was “visibly ill.”

Aria’s security helped Howell get into his previous room, but since he had checked out, a new room key was issued at 10:10 p.m. Howell entered his hotel room with a security escort at 10:12 p.m. and the door was locked behind him.

The next day, Vassallo and Louis Howell waited for several hours at London’s Heathrow Airport until they learned that the elder Howell had not boarded the plane leaving for Las Vegas. The family contacted Aria, who sent someone to Howell’s room at 12:24 p.m., which is when Howell was found dead, allegedly from diabetic ketoacidosis.

David Danzis can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 383-0378. Follow AC2Vegas_Danzis on X