Heartbroken household say British dad wouldn’t have died alone if he acquired correct care at Las Vegas resort

William Howell’s family are suing the Aria Casino Hotel, its security as well as an ambulance company and its crew following his deathFamily say ‘one in a million’ British dad would not have died alone if he received proper care at Las Vegas hotel

The family of a British man has launched a wrongful death lawsuit against a Las Vegas hotel after he was left to die alone.

William Howell, hailed as “one in a million” by his friends, died at Sin City’s famous Aira Casino Hotel on August 30 2023.

His wife and two young sons are taking legal action against the famous hotel, its security team, and the ambulance company along with its crew.

If proven, such cases can result in multi-million dollar settlements in Nevada.

Howell, 37, was a type 1 diabetic and fell seriously ill while trying to catch his Virgin flight back to London from Harry Reid International Airport.

His flight was delayed as medical help was called for, and staff put Howell in a wheelchair as a precaution. After an ambulance was summoned, medics arrived at 8.46pm, checked his vitals and noted his high blood sugar.

The lawsuit claims that the medics “spent no more than two minutes” with Mr Howell before he electronically signed a form refusing medical transport.

Court documents allege that the ambulance workers “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.”

Despite his obvious ill health, he was permitted to take an Uber back to the Aira Casino Hotel where he had been staying. Aria securiy assisted him to the room he was previously staying in and it is claimed that despite being informed of his diabetic condition, hotel staff overlooked clear warning signs, reports the Mirror.

Even though he was accompanied by hotel staff to reenter the room, he was subsequently left alone. The following day, Mrs Howell, who was pregnant with their second son Jack, waited for him at Heathrow Airport, expecting him on his scheduled flight.

When he didn’t show up, family members contacted Aria, urging staff to check his room. At 12.24pm, nearly 14 hours after he was last seen, staff entered the room and discovered Oxford graduate Howell dead.

The Las Vegas medical examiner later confirmed and recorded his cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that could have been treated 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 lawsuit accuses gross negligence and wrongful acts that directly led to his death. It claims that if he had received proper care at any point 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, aspiring model influencer Gangemi, and Community Ambulance have applied to have the case dismissed against them, with a hearing set for March 5.

Friends of the dad raised nearly £20,000 for the charity Breakthrough T1D, which funds research into diabetes, after running the London marathon.

One friend said: “Will was ONE IN A MILLION and his loss was and will always be felt by every one that had the privilege 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.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.