Widow: Husband died because of hairy chest

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Saturday, August 30, 2014
Jack and Caroline Jordan are shown in this undated file photo.
Jack and Caroline Jordan are shown in this undated file photo.
KABC

LOS ANGELES -- A widow whose husband suffered a heart attack on a Southwest Airlines flight says her husband's hairy chest played a role in his death.

The couple was flying from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, when Jack Jordan suffered a massive heart attack. Wife Caroline Jordan said a physical therapist and a hospice nurse on board the plane began giving the 62-year-old CPR.

A defibrillator was on board and could have been a lifesaver if used quickly, but Caroline Jordan claims a flight attendant said his chest was too hairy to use it.

"I don't expect the airlines or the flight attendants to be nurses or doctors, not anywhere close, but in that kind of a circumstance, one of the first things they should be doing is getting that AED hooked up," Jordan said.

Jordan said they eventually shaved her husband's chest and put on the device, but by then it was too late.

Southwest Airlines said they are looking into the incident.

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