A 44-year-old American lawyer and writer died suddenly while flying to the UK after falling asleep on her mother’s shoulder and never waking up, a West London coroner’s court heard this week.
Rachel Green was travelling from Minneapolis to London Heathrow on a Delta Airlines flight for a research trip connected to a book she was writing. Midway through the journey, she rested her head on her mother’s shoulder and appeared to drift off peacefully.
Cabin crew later attempted to wake her but were unable to rouse her. A tannoy announcement was made asking for a doctor on board, but despite efforts to revive her, Rachel was pronounced dead on the aircraft.
The West London Coroner’s Court was told Rachel had a cocktail of prescription medications in her system, including antidepressants, melatonin and a small amount of alcohol. She was also found to have an undiagnosed congenital heart condition, which experts said likely proved fatal when combined with the drugs.
Recording a verdict of misadventure, Senior Coroner Lydia Brown said Rachel’s death was “instantaneous”.
“She simply died while on a flight,” the coroner said. “She was coming to this country to carry out research and spend time with her family. Instead, she never even got off the plane.”
Pathologist Dr Alan Bates told the court Rachel’s heart was largely normal, apart from a condition known as myocardial tunnelling, where a coronary artery runs beneath the heart muscle rather than on its surface, a rare anomaly that can increase the risk of sudden cardiac events.
Rachel’s sister, Roxanne Carney, questioned why her sibling had been prescribed multiple medications despite having an earlier “abnormal” heart test that was never fully investigated.
