JetBlue Flight 429 took off from Boston, Massachusetts on 11th August 2016, heading towards Sacramento in California. During the flight, the aircraft came into contact with extreme turbulence which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Once landed, 24 passengers and 3 crew members were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
In this rather unique and possibly groundbreaking legal case, we’re seeing passengers sue an airline as a result of adverse weather and it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.
One passenger who was on the flight shared his experience:
“…all of a sudden, the plane just dropped. It dropped fast enough so that things just flew up in the air… I just saw laptops, candy and soda splashing onto the ceiling.”
One shocking image, taken by a passenger on the flight, shows a crew member wearing a neck brace being wheeled down the cabin aisle.
Nature of the case
Two lawsuits are being brought in the federal court in California as two passengers allege they obtained neck injuries as a result of the incident. Whilst the turbulence was caused by a natural phenomenon that was out of the Airline’s control, the lawsuits suggest that the company should’ve foreseen the thunderstorm and taken appropriate action to avoid flying through it, and therefore allegedly risking everyone on board.
The lawsuit was brought on the grounds that JetBlue “disregarded” that threat and “chose not to advise its Flight 429 passengers to stay seated with seat belts fastened.”
The lawsuit describes how one passenger had returned to her seat after using the bathroom but hadn’t put her seat belt on and was consequently thrown into the ceiling by the turbulence, hitting her head. Reportedly, instead of warning passengers and crew of the upcoming turbulence, announcements were made after the aircraft had already entered the storm and already experiencing violent turbulence.
Injuries suffered
Injured passengers and crew reported the following injuries:
- Bruises
- Head and neck pain
- Mental stress
- Nightmares
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
One passenger had recently undergone spinal fusion surgery, and after being thrown into the air and slammed back down during turbulence, she said her”“lower and mid-back felt like it was on fire”, according to papers filed in the case.
No comment from JetBlue
JetBlue have chosen not to comment on the incident whilst the legal proceedings are ongoing. However, this isn’t the first time JetBlue has been sued for a similar incident. A passenger once brought a lawsuit against them when the seat belt warning was not activated when she went to the restroom and turbulence hit, throwing her into the ceiling and then back down onto the floor. For months after the incident, the passenger continued to suffer pain, dizziness, memory problems and difficulty with concentrating.
Instead of taking responsibility, JetBlue tried to turn the lawsuit around, complaining that the lawsuit was a marketing tool for the law firm that was helping the injured passenger claim compensation.
It’s not known whether any British citizens were on the JetBlue Flight 429 to Sacramento.
First published by Admin on September 29, 2017
Posted in the following categories: Latest and tagged with lawsuits