Legal News

Flight 1549 Passengers Lawyer Up

By Ashby Jones

We’ll admit it. Shortly after Sully Sullenberger pulled off his miraculous landing in the Hudson River last month, visions of lawsuits danced in our heads.

We weren’t exactly sure what these hypothetical lawsuits would look like, mind you, given that the passengers all survived, with only a few suffering minor injuries. But we tried out some theories, nonetheless, trying to gauge what the suits might request. Damages for emotional pain? Money for lost luggage? We took it even farther: What if the aborted flight caused someone to miss a job interview in Charlotte? Could that get wrapped into a claim?

Well, we just might find out! Another WSJ blog — The Middle Seat Terminal — is reporting today that more than a dozen passengers from the flight have contacted a well-known aviation accident law firm, Kreindler & Kreindler, to “learn more about their rights after the accident.” That said, Andrew Maloney, a lawyer at the firm said the firm wasn’t necessarily filing a suit. “Right now we’re trying to do the responsible thing and investigate the incident,” Maloney said. “And that’s what we’ve told people who’ve contacted us.”

US Airways has ponied up a little already. The airline sent passengers $5,000 checks — plus reimbursing airfare — the weekend after the accident. The carrier also upgraded all passengers on board to “Chairman’s Preferred” status, entitling them to automatic upgrades, exemptions from baggage fees and bonus miles for a year.

Law Blog Animated Video of the Day: Check out this simulated video of Flight 1549, which has been laid on top of the rather harrowing audio track from the flight. (Incidentally, the video was created by SceneSystems, a UK-based animator that’s recently started targeting the US litigation market.) For good measure, here’s Steve Martin on Letterman, talking about the crash. Funny stuff.

Photo: AP

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on February 26, 2009 (boomark / email).