Zachary Coleman, a passenger of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines for personal injuries he sustained after witnessing a woman die midflight due to an engine explosion. On April 17, 2018, Flight 1380 was flying from New York to Dallas but had to make an emergency landing when one of the aircraft’s twin engines suddenly exploded 32,000 feet in the air. The explosion showered the jet with debris and shattered a window.
At that time, a New Mexico bank executive, Jennifer Riordan, was sitting next to the window that shattered. The shattering of the window caused a sudden change in pressure and fatally injured her while other passengers rushed to her aid, but to no avail.
Zachary Coleman now has filed a lawsuit against the airline for causing him Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, emotional pain, physical pain, as well as lost wages for the traumatic event. In addition, Texas residents Elhadji Cisse, Cindy Arenas, Jaky and Jiny Arenas, a Louisiana couple named Donald and Beverly Kirkland, Conor Brown and Cassandra Adamas of New Mexico, have filed similar lawsuits against Southwest Airlines.
The flight had 149 passengers on board to witness these horrific events. The lawsuits state the incident made them confront “their greatest fear, the overwhelming horror of being trapped in a plane about to crash.” The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia after the accident. The National Safety Board believes the accident happened when one of the engine blades snapped on one of the plane’s jet engines. Although Southwest Airlines has yet to comment, the passengers filing lawsuits believe that Southwest Airlines breached its duty by failing to properly inspect the plane.
If you or someone you know has been injured by an airline company, contact an experienced attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.