Highlights
- Gibbs says a cabin crew member struck her head during a passenger disturbance.
- She claims she developed migraines, memory problems, dizziness and cognitive fatigue.
- Gibbs says her health forced her to retire earlier than planned from a senior legal role.
A FORMER US Navy lawyer and friend of Kamala Harris said she has been left struggling with migraines, memory problems and cognitive fatigue after allegedly being struck on the head by a British Airways cabin crew member during a flight.
Karen Gibbs, a retired US Navy captain and disabled veteran, is suing British Airways for damages over the incident, which she said has affected her health and forced her to retire from a senior legal role earlier than planned, the Times reported.
Gibbs was travelling on British Airways flight 217 from Heathrow to Washington on August 1, 2024, when a disturbance involving another passenger broke out in the row behind her.
According to a claim filed in a Virginia district court last month, Gibbs was an “innocent bystander” when a member of the cabin crew trying to deal with the disturbance delivered a “forceful blow” to the top of her head.
She said she was left with head pain, blurred vision, dizziness, disorientation and distress, and immediately asked for medical help.
The claim said cabin crew provided ice but medical treatment was requested only about 90 minutes later. It also said no medical assistance was arranged by British Airways when the flight landed.
Gibbs said she was unable to walk through Washington airport and needed a wheelchair.
She later reported the incident to British Airways and said the airline offered her a £50 goodwill payment.
The lawsuit said Gibbs subsequently suffered continuing migraines or headaches, vision problems, memory and concentration difficulties, cognitive fatigue, disorientation and problems with her balance.
She attended Howard University with Harris, the former US vice president, in the 1980s. Gibbs had previously said Harris is godmother to her children, who attended Harris’s inauguration as vice president and visited her at the White House.
Incident forced her to retire early
More than a year after the incident, she said she was forced to retire from a new position as a senior federal attorney in the US civil service because of cognitive fatigue, concentration and memory problems.
Before the incident, Gibbs was described in the claim as active, independent and able to carry out demanding legal work, as well as family, church, civic and travel responsibilities.
Her family, friends and medical professionals had observed a “marked decline” after the incident, the claim said.
Gibbs is seeking compensation for past and future medical costs, lost earnings and employment benefits, mental anguish and what the lawsuit describes as a “loss of enjoyment of life”.
British Airways has not responded to the allegations in the lawsuit. A spokesman said: “As this matter is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment.”
Gibbs spent 26 years in the US Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, retiring as a captain. She later worked as senior counsel at the US Department of Justice’s Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
