After the Delta Airlines accident in Toronto last week, the first lawsuits were filed against the airline, even though Delta officials offered $30,000 to each passenger on the plane that overturned as it approached the airport, The Post reported.
The company planned to pay up to $2.3 million if the 76 passengers on Endeavor Air’s CRJ-900 flight, a Delta subsidiary, accepted the settlement.
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In addition, lawsuits are expected to increase, according to CBS News.
One passenger explained in his lawsuit that he was “suspended upside down soaked with jet fuel”, which caused him to suffer “severe emotional and mental distress, as well as significant injuries to his head, neck, back, knees and face”.
A second lawsuit, filed on behalf of a Minneapolis passenger, claims she suffers from “extreme physical and mental injuries”
In addition, the lawsuit states that the flight crew did not observe “the most fundamental procedures for an approach to landing at the airport.”
An international treaty could cost Delta a lot of money
Due to the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that regulates airlines’ liability for passenger injury, baggage damage and cargo loss, more lawsuits are likely, CBS added
According to the treaty, injured passengers on international flights can receive compensation of up to $200,000, but it could be more if the airline is found to have been negligent.
Passengers have two years to file a claim under the treaty
After the accident, 21 people were taken to hospital following the crash landing of the flight that departed Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday. All have since been discharged.
Delta said in a statement Thursday that both pilots are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and that the captain has worked “in pilot training and flight safety roles.”
The first officer, who was hired last year by Endeavor, also has “the highest level pilot certification in the United States,” Delta Airlines said.
After the plane was removed from the runway last Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are now cooperating in the investigation.