Severe Turbulence Grounds Delta Flight

oldman

oldman

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A Delta flight going from Milan to Atlanta flew into some rough turbulence about 40 miles from the airport in Atlanta. After landing, eleven (11) passengers were carted off the plane on gurneys. Some passengers were not belted into their seats and the flight attendants were out of their seats doing work preparing for landing.

The NTSB has said they will investigate. If the plane was still over water, I can tell you from experience that the air can swiftly change directions between onshore and offshore winds. Being only 40 miles from the airport, there is a lot going on in the cockpit as the pilots are preparing for landing. Wind shears can be seen on the pilot’s radar on later models of aircraft, but that’s something that can happen in a snap, especially if it’s what’s referred to as Clear Air Turbulence or CAT.

The NTSB had said they will investigate. This is SAP when passengers have been injured.



Turbulence
 

Do you think it will become a mandatory law someday to wear the seat belts while flying. Just like it is the law to wear seat belts while riding in a car.
 

DaveA said:
Another lawyer's bonanza in the making. They're out there rubbing their hands together, gleefully, and hoping most of injuries are serious.
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I agree that the lawyers representing the injured will benefit from their client’s misery. These cases are usually settled out of court. There was a case not too long ago that I followed of a passenger who was injured during turbulence on a Spirit Airlines plane. The turbulence was nowhere near as bad as this situation was, but the passenger was bounced out of his seat . He was not fastened in with the seatbelt.

The passenger suffered slight injuries, including a broken arm. The judge ruled that because the passenger was not fastened that he was 40% responsible for his own injuries. Out of the $1.5 million award, he was given about $700,000.00 less legal expenses.

Flight attendants and pilots announce numerous times to keep your seat belts buckled while seated. Why do we have to continue to remind passengers to lock their seatbelts? Do they want to be injured in hopes of collecting a large settlement? There are some risks to flying and flight crews try to eliminate as many risks as possible by reminding passengers to stay seated when the seatbelt sign is on and lock your seatbelt, especially during the climb out and while the plane is descending into the airport.

I see passengers all the time that will use the lavatory even though the seatbelt light is lit. I think if a passenger really needs to use the lavatory while the seatbelt sign is lit, they should sign a waiver accepting full responsibility in case of an accident. That would probably make at least some passengers reconsider if they really have to go or if they can wait a few minutes. Usually, turbulence lasts less than 5 minutes. There may be light turbulence throughout a trip, but heavy turbulence should last only minutes while the pilots find better air space.
 
Sounds reasonable because it's quite a bit cheaper to clean the seats after some passengers "can't hold it" than the cost of lawsuits from folks who unhook and end up tumbling down the aisle.
 
oldman said:
The passenger suffered slight injuries, including a broken arm. The judge ruled that because the passenger was not fastened that he was 40% responsible for his own injuries. Out of the $1.5 million award, he was given about $700,000.00 less legal expenses.
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That is the general comparative negligence rule. The same generally for car accidents. If you are found to be 25% at fault for not wearing your seat belt, your damages award can be reduced by 25%.
 

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