Turbulence on American Airlines Flight 759 Sends 10 to Hospital
Attorneys
Ten passengers were hospitalized Saturday following an aviation accident aboard American Airlines Flight 759 from Athens, Greece, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 5, 2017. Three passengers and seven crew members were injured when, 30 minutes prior to reaching its destination, the plane experienced turbulence and lurched violently over the Atlantic Ocean, sending drinks and people flying.
Thirty minutes out. They were giving us our drinks. The flight attendants were in the last couple rows when they said 'fasten your seat belts.' And then they said for the flight attendants to get to their seats, and they didn't even have time. It started shaking, then it took a big drop. Babies screaming, people in front of us hitting the ceiling.
Because the flight originated overseas, any litigation arising from injuries would likely fall under international aviation laws such as the Montreal Convention. The Montreal Convention (formally, the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air) is a multilateral treaty adopted in 1999 by a diplomatic meeting of 120 ICAO member states including Greece and the United States. Under the Montreal Convention, travelers are granted additional protections under the law while extending certain rights to airlines. Airlines operating in nations that have signed on to the Montreal Convention are obligated to carry liability insurance and are responsible for damages that arise to passengers while traveling on their airline.
In regards to air turbulence litigation, the Kreindler firm is recognized among the top aviation accident law firms for its landmark victory on behalf of 13 passengers in the case of Spielberg v. American Airlines, Inc. In that jury trial, led by Kreindler partners Daniel Rose and James Kreindler, the firm obtained the nation’s highest-ever award for emotional distress caused by turbulence during the Los Angeles to New York flight. On June 25, 1995, the passengers of that plane experienced 30 seconds of severe turbulence as the aircraft rose and fell hundreds of feet while flying over Minnesota. The airline admitted liability.
Founded in 1950, Kreindler & Kreindler LLP is well known as the preeminent aviation accident law firm in the world. The firm has been the leading plaintiff legal counsel on thousands of aviation cases, including major ones such as the September 11th terrorist attacks, Pan Am Lockerbie Flight 103, Korean Airlines Flight 007, American Airlines Flight 587, Asiana Flight 214, and many cases of private, military and commercial crashes.
Photo Credit: American Airlines Flight 759, Andrew Thomas