Southwest's policy is that you must cancel in order to preserve your funds, and they give you up until 10 minutes prior to departure to do so. This policy is stated when you book your flight, and shown prominently on each confirmation email you receive. If your injury happened on the way to the airport, or perhaps on the day of travel, Customer Relations might consider making a special exception, but those are rare. With the generous nature of the policy compared to other carriers, it's understandable that Southwest enforces it. Unfortunately, ignorance of the policy isn't a valid justification for an exception -- especially for a loyal customer (who presumably should be aware of the basic policy). That said, it is still worth escalation, as you have nothing to lose. Good luck.
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