Southwest MDW accident pax sues
#1
Southwest MDW accident pax sues
Dec. 24, 2005, 11:46AM
Southwest passenger in runway mishap sues
Associated Press
CHICAGO — A woman who was aboard a Southwest Airlines jet when it slid off the end of a runway at Midway International Airport in a snowstorm earlier this month sued the airline and the city Friday.
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Bernice James' lawsuit claims the Dallas-based airline was careless and negligent in landing the plane on the snowy runway on Dec. 8, causing her to suffer "severe fear and terror, emotional distress" and physical injuries.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court and seeks unspecified damages, does not give details about her injuries.
James of Chicago also contends the city failed to properly inspect the runway and should have closed Midway because of "unsafe and adverse conditions."
Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Paula Berg declined comment Friday. Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the city's legal department, said she had not seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.
Earlier this week, two other passengers aboard the Baltimore-to-Chicago flight sued Southwest, the city and Chicago-based Boeing Co.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, which killed 6-year-old Joshua Woods of Leroy, Ind. He was inside a car crushed by the plane when it skidded off the end of a runway, through a fence and into the street.
His family's attorney, Ronald Stearney Jr., said Friday he intends to file a lawsuit but would not say when.
Southwest passenger in runway mishap sues
Associated Press
CHICAGO — A woman who was aboard a Southwest Airlines jet when it slid off the end of a runway at Midway International Airport in a snowstorm earlier this month sued the airline and the city Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bernice James' lawsuit claims the Dallas-based airline was careless and negligent in landing the plane on the snowy runway on Dec. 8, causing her to suffer "severe fear and terror, emotional distress" and physical injuries.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court and seeks unspecified damages, does not give details about her injuries.
James of Chicago also contends the city failed to properly inspect the runway and should have closed Midway because of "unsafe and adverse conditions."
Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Paula Berg declined comment Friday. Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the city's legal department, said she had not seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.
Earlier this week, two other passengers aboard the Baltimore-to-Chicago flight sued Southwest, the city and Chicago-based Boeing Co.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, which killed 6-year-old Joshua Woods of Leroy, Ind. He was inside a car crushed by the plane when it skidded off the end of a runway, through a fence and into the street.
His family's attorney, Ronald Stearney Jr., said Friday he intends to file a lawsuit but would not say when.
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2005
Position: Any, usually behind the wing
Posts: 382
Unfortunately, we Americans live in a society where being involved in an accident can become one's winning lottery ticket- even if you were not severly injured. We all pay a price every time we purchase an item or service (I'm shopping for general business liability insurance today!) and; deserving or not, there is a sense of- "I'm going to collect, after all I've "paid" into it all these years to pay for all the other scoundrels who have abused the system." I can't say I blame them entirely.
That said, lawsuits in America have made cars safer (think Pinto), drug companies accountable (think thalidomide or maybe VIOXX), and the environment cleaner (think Superfund, Love Canal, etc). These improvements have come at a high monetary cost and obviously have not solved the issues clearly or completely- but I'll let someone start another thread to avoid thread drift.
Clearly, a mistake was made at Midway- the NTSB report will no doubt be specific. A boy was killed and that's a tragedy no amount will compensate for. Any others not truly injured (and to be fair- that can be difficult to determine) are simply acting, for better or worse, within the system as it stands today.
That said, lawsuits in America have made cars safer (think Pinto), drug companies accountable (think thalidomide or maybe VIOXX), and the environment cleaner (think Superfund, Love Canal, etc). These improvements have come at a high monetary cost and obviously have not solved the issues clearly or completely- but I'll let someone start another thread to avoid thread drift.
Clearly, a mistake was made at Midway- the NTSB report will no doubt be specific. A boy was killed and that's a tragedy no amount will compensate for. Any others not truly injured (and to be fair- that can be difficult to determine) are simply acting, for better or worse, within the system as it stands today.
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2005
Position: Any, usually behind the wing
Posts: 382
To distill my previous post in repsonse to your question-
1. Because they can;
2. Because they are actually hurt or traumatized;
3. or, they are trying to recover some of they money they've paid into the system through higher costs:
4. some combination of the above.
My wife is an attorney and got out of it, in part, because in a lot of the ways people think, it can be a scam.
1. Because they can;
2. Because they are actually hurt or traumatized;
3. or, they are trying to recover some of they money they've paid into the system through higher costs:
4. some combination of the above.
My wife is an attorney and got out of it, in part, because in a lot of the ways people think, it can be a scam.
#9
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2005
Posts: 74
i agree nwafo. bunch of ambulance chasing attorney and *****s that want to exploit a tragedy. if she would have been ejected from her seat, and came down on an upright armrest, which proceeded to go in her ass... i can definately see a lawsuit... but comon nothin happened to her.
get a job you bum
get a job you bum
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