First Southwest Airlines flight 1380 lawsuit filed, passenger claims PTSD
A first lawsuit has been filed by a passenger on Southwest Airlines flight 1380, which killed one person after a mid-air engine explosion.
Lilia Chavez was on the fateful flight and filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Chavez claims to be suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
In addition to the airline, Safran and General Electric are named as defendants as joint venture partners in CFM International which manufactures the engines.
The complaint says Southwest and CFM ‘placed profits and business’ over passenger safety and were aware the engines were unsafe.
"Despite knowing of the dangerous condition of the subject aircraft’s engine, the defendants risked the lives of more than a hundred innocent passengers," the lawsuit alleges.
"Ms. Chavez witnessed the horror as the force of the depressurization pulled an innocent passenger partially through the shattered window."
The accident marked Southwest’s first ever in-flight fatality from an air accident and the first in the US for nine years.
"We can’t comment on any pending litigation. The safety and security of our employees and customers is our highest priority at all times," the airline said in a statement.
"Our focus remains on working with the NTSB to support their investigation."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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