In follow-up to our prior post regarding unmanned drone safety and registration, we discuss a new wrinkle in administering policy to these pilotless aircraft: the question of privacy. While there is no question some regulation of the private and commercial use of drones was inevitable, the task for regulators is now how to protect privacy…
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Frequently airline employees who have been injured on the “Airport Operations Area” mistakenly believe that if they report an accident to their employer, or their employer’s insurance company, that they are “covered” under the Virginia workers Compensation Act. Unfortunately, this is not always true. While Virginia law requires that prompt “Notice” be given to the…
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 readingRecently, National Public Radio (NPR) published a news series condemning changes in our country’s workers’ comp system which have made it increasingly difficult for injured workers, including airline pilots, flight crew, grounds crew, tug drivers, airport skycaps and other airport workers, to collect the benefits to which they are entitled. Click here to read our…
Continue readingAt most international airports, including the three major airports in the Washington DC Metro area — Baltimore Washington International Airport (“BWI”), Dulles International Airport (“IAD”), and Reagan National Airport (“WAS”) — there is a ticketing and points system for drivers on the “airport operations area” (AOA) just like on the roads and interstate highways. However,…
Continue readingWhy would an injured airline employee be let go after suffering an on-the-job injury? The answer is simple: Insurance companies for airlines are “risk averse.” Experienced airport and airline injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that in cases where there is a significant permanent injury to the employee, several airlines will insist — as part of…
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 readingOnce a jet is aloft, we rarely think about the people on the ground who keep the aircraft well-maintained and able to keep its “on time” schedule. “Airplane maintenance and repair is difficult and sometimes dangerous work,” notes airline employee injury attorney Doug Landau, and the normal “rules of the road” do not apply on…
Continue readingThe short answer is “No.” While an injured worker may not always be able to see his or her authorized treating doctor, and many “off work” or disability slips have been issued by physician’s assistants (PA), nurses, and other medical personnel, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled just last month that a PA’s report is…
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