William Howell, 37, fell gravely ill while attempting to board his flight home from Las Vegas to London in August 2023 and tragically died after a series of failures, his family allege
A British man tragically died alone in a Las Vegas hotel following a number of alleged missed opportunities to save him.
William Howell, 37, fell gravely ill while attempting to board his flight home to London, and devastatingly died hours later. His wife Emma and young sons Louis and Jack – one of whom was unborn when he died – are now suing Sin City’s famous Aria Casino Hotel, its security and the ambulance company and its crew over claims of negligence.
The family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit after William, a type 1 diabetic, was left to die alone in August 2023. Such cases, if proven, can run into millions of dollars in settlements. William has been described by friends as ‘one in a million’.
On August 30, 2023 William fell unwell while attempting to board his Virgin flight home to London from Harry Reid International Airport. It was delayed as medical assistance was requested. As a precaution, staff placed Mr Howell into a wheelchair.
After an ambulance was called, medics Alexandra Gangemi and Dominique Johnson arrived at 8.46pm and took his vitals and noted his high blood sugar. The lawsuit alleges the medics “spent no more than two minutes” with the patient before he electronically signed a medical transport refusal form.
According to court papers, the ambulance employees “did not properly inform decedent (Mr Howell) of the consequences of failing to seek attention, did not properly assess decedent’s mental capacity, did not perform the proper testing and did not follow policies and procedures”.
But despite being visibly unwell, he was allowed to take an Uber back to the Aira Casino Hotel in which he had been staying. On arrival, Oxford-educated Mr Howell, originally from Newton Abbot, Devon, fell out of the vehicle, and it is alleged that staff ignored clear warning signs despite being told he was diabetic.
Aria security helped him to his former room, but since he had checked out, a new key was issued at 10.10pm. Although with hotel employees to reenter the room, he was then left alone.
The next day, Mrs Howell, who was pregnant with the couple’s second son Jack at the time, waited for him at Heathrow Airport, expecting him on his scheduled flight. When he failed to arrive, relatives contacted Aria, urging staff to check his room.
At 12.24pm, nearly 14 hours after he was last seen, staff entered the room and found Mr Howell, who worked for technology firm Cisco, dead. His cause of death was later confirmed and recorded by the Las Vegas medical examiner as diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition treatable with timely medical intervention.
His wife Emma and sons Louis and Jack have filed a five-count civil lawsuit in Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court, naming Aria, its parent company MGM Resorts International, Community Ambulance, the hotel’s security firm, and the two medics as defendants.
The case alleges gross negligence and wrongful acts that directly led to his death. The lawsuit alleges that had he received proper care at any stage – at the airport, upon arriving at Aria, or even later that night – he would likely have survived.
Instead, a series of failures led directly to his death. Mr Howell’s family is seeking damages for negligence, emotional distress, and financial losses. MGM Resorts and Community Ambulance have yet to comment. Johnson, wanna-be model influencer Gangemi, and Community Ambulance have applied to have the case dismissed against them, and a hearing has been scheduled for March 5.
Friends of the “hugely popular” account manager raised almost £20,000 for the charity Breakthrough T1D, which funds research into diabetes, after running the London marathon. One said of him: “Will was ONE IN A MILLION and his loss was and will always be felt by every one that had the privledge to have met and known him. His thirst for life was like no-one else I’ve ever met. For anyone that knew Will and even those that didn’t, this is such an important charity, please join us in honouring Will and donating anything you can. We miss you Will.”
Mr Howell’s death is not the first case of alleged negligence at a Las Vegas resort. In 2022, a Florida lawyer, David Jagolinzer, suffered a fatal heart attack at a Wynn Las Vegas blackjack table. A lawsuit claims staff ignored him for 15 minutes, with the dealer continuing to deal cards as he lay unconscious. He later died from complications, and that case is still ongoing.