The Association for Justice (“AAJ”) morning litigation program tends to feature “cutting edge” and merging areas of the law. When Doug Landau submitted his paper on the law of drones, there was little case law or regulation, despite reports of near misses with helicopters and airplanes at major international airports. Given the Virginia Motorsports Park…
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Air-traffic controllers have plenty to do safely coordinating arriving and departing aircraft, as well as vehicles on the airport operations area. With the surge in the numbers of these small, unmanned aircraft being used in American air space, their jobs, and those of pilots and other airline personnel, have become exponentially more difficult and dangerous.…
Continue readingThe Airport Operations Area (“AOA”) at major airports is usually bustling with jets, prop planes, trucks, tugs and electric vehicles. When collisions between airport vehicles and workers on foot occur on the AOA, a workers compensation claim usually arises if there is an injury and disability from work. However, the state comp claim does NOT…
Continue readingWhile workers’ compensation is considered a “no-fault” system, there are instances where the culpability of the injured worker is examined. In airport injury cases, normally the negligence of the injured worker is often not an issue. Intentionally inflicted injuries are a topic for another day. A flight attendant or ground crew member can be clumsy…
Continue readingThe Alpine crash of the Germanwings flight from Spain to Germany was a tragedy that is just in its initial investigation stage. While most of the jet crash victims were from Europe, several Americans suffered fatal injuries. The “black box” was heavily damaged in the impact, but may reveal information about the doomed Airbus jet’s…
Continue readingAccording to an article in the Washington Post, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) paid a $2 million wrongful death settlement to the parents of 25 year old Southwest Airlines ramp agent Jared Dodson who was killed when the baggage tug he was steering was struck by a mobile lounge on the runway at Dulles…
Continue readingThe unthinkable has happened again. A small plane has crashed into a home situated near an airport. However, unlike an incident in Chicago a few weeks ago, in which the pilot was killed but the elderly residents of the home he struck escaped injury, the December 8 crash of a plane into three homes near…
Continue readingAn elderly couple in Chicago escaped with their lives and suffered no physical injuries when a small cargo plane crashed into their home on November 18. The plane missed hitting the couple, ages 84 and 82, by just inches. But what a frightening scene that must have been! They have filed a lawsuit against Central…
Continue readingPrior to 1979 there were no liability insurance requirements on light airplanes under the Virginia Code. In addition, the Virginia federal courts ruled that the Federal Aviation Act provided no basis to impose vicarious liability on the owner of an aircraft for the negligence of someone who was a bailee. *vicarious liability assigns liability for…
Continue readingAirline employees and airport workers are concerned about contracting the potentially fatal Ebola Virus Disease on the job. Just as with nurses and hospital orderlies during the height of the AIDS epidemic, airport personnel are concerned about their legal rights in light of the deadly Ebola outbreak. Workers at Washington DC area international airports are…
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