Bleeding ear, concussion, emotional trauma: A group of passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight that lost a door mid-flight last week filed a lawsuit Thursday against plane maker Boeing.
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“The passengers were shocked, frightened and confused, plunging themselves into a waking nightmare, hoping that they would live long enough to walk the earth again. Some prayed. Some sent text messages to their families […] Some grabbed and clung to each other,” says the class action lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Forbes reported.
On Thursday, six passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing last Friday after one of its doors came loose during the flight between Portland, Oregon, and Ontario, California, asked the plane's manufacturer for compensation for the 171 passengers board board, The Seattle Times reported.
In fact, the court document laments that her trip aboard the Boeing 737 Max 9 “would have physically injured some passengers and emotionally traumatized most, if not all, on board,” Forbes noted.
Passengers reported bruising after the incident, while a pursuer said her head was shaken so hard that she suffered a concussion, soft tissue injuries to her neck and back and bleeding in one ear, according to The Seattle Times.
Several also complained of lack of oxygen due to a problem with emergency masks, and some lost consciousness, the court document said.
“This nightmarish experience has had lasting economic, physical and emotional consequences that have understandably deeply affected our clients,” attorney Daniel Laurence, representing the passengers, said in a statement, according to The Seattle Times.
However, the class action lawsuit would only blame Boeing for the incident and would not take Alaska Airlines into account, US media noted.
The plane's manufacturer did not comment on the lawsuits, but its CEO, Dave Calhoun, admitted earlier this week that the incident was due to a “mistake” by Boeing and that the company would address the situation “by acknowledging our mistake.” recognized”. “, says The Seattle Times.
The lawsuit would therefore seek compensation for the 171 passengers on board, as well as their spouses or domestic partners, to compensate for all physical and mental health treatments as well as financial losses related to the incident.