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Southwest Airlines Flight Bound for Los Angeles Diverts After Passenger Medical Issue

A Southwest Airlines flight originally bound for Los Angeles had to be diverted to Las Vegas, Nevada due to a passenger medical issue onboard on January 31.

Video recorded by Jermaine Horton captures the medical incident onboard, as a woman holds up an IV drip while others tend to the unwell passenger.

“A man was looking as if he was passing out and we just [saw] people rushing to the front,” Horton told Storyful of the experience. “There were two first responders on the plane,” he added, who “laid him down on the floor of the aircraft.”

In the second clip, which was recorded after touching down in Las Vegas, the man is seen getting to his feet with the assistance of medical personnel.

Southwest Airlines provided Storyful with a statement, confirming that "Flight 2268 from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was diverted to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) due to a passenger medical issue onboard.

“The flight landed safely without incident and was met by medical personnel who attended to the passenger,” the airline said. “We are not releasing any details about the nature of the medical emergency.” Credit: Jermaine Horton via Storyful

Video transcript

[AIRPLANE ENGINE NOISE AND INDISTINCT CHATTER]

- All right. We need the blood pressure now and [INAUDIBLE].

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

- Yeah, I did it on his wrist.

- [INAUDIBLE]

- I have some information for you guys.

- OK. I'll need just a minute.

- Yeah. No, you're good.

- That's going to be a tough way to get him moving.

- We can sit him up, and we can probably get him to walk with assistance.

- OK.

- Right here.

- No, you're good.

- Let me try and get out of the way, guys. Sorry.

- Let's get this knee bent.

- What we're going to do is get your knees up, and then we're going to have you sit up, OK? Just going to grab your hands, and we're going to sit up, 1, 2, 3. And then I'm going to get behind you, and we're going to sit all the way up. And now we're going to walk out to the terminal. We're going to sit on their tram, which is their bed out there.

- Our bed's right outside. Our bed's right outside.