Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
The family of a woman who was struck by lightning after exiting a US Airways plane in South Carolina last summer is suing for damages.
The 52-year-old died from the injuries sustained on the tarmac at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
Last week, her family filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, which US Airways has merged with, and the airport for negligence, according to reports.
The plane was supposed to land at Charlotte International Airport in North Carolina, but diverted to Columbia due to weather.
The lawsuit states that although the flight landed at Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 5:07 p.m., deplaning did not begin until 5:52 p.m. Ten minutes before deplaning, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area.
The woman was struck by lightning after stepping out onto the tarmac with her husband, son and daughter.
The lawsuit also alleges that the woman did not receive prompt medical care for her condition.
The Columbia Metropolitan Airport released the following statement:
As airport operators we provide all of our carriers with passenger boarding bridges so that they can safely move passengers between the terminal and their aircraft. However, the airport is not involved in determining when or how they choose to deplane passengers. When the incident occurred, our public safety officers followed their procedures and responded within seconds. At this time, the airport and its legal team has not yet received notification that the Columbia Metropolitan Airport has been named in a lawsuit. Therefore, we are unable to provide any other specifics about the incident.
Airline negligence cases are not something we read regularly about in the news, but the most common reasons these unfortunate events occur is due to:
- Negligent Hiring
- Lack of Training
If your loved one’s injury or death was caused by careless airline employees, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death case. Our Florida Wrongful Death Lawyers at Whittel & Melton may be able to help you obtain justice.
If someone you care about has been harmed, and you think that an airline company may have been at fault, then you could be able to recover financial compensation. Call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online to find out more about how we can help you get through this difficult time.