CLEVELAND, Ohio — As the investigation continues into the deadly engine failure on a Southwest Airlines Plane, Channel 3 News spoke with a legal expert, who expects lawsuits will be filed.
One person was killed and at least 7 injured in the incident.
Jamie Lebovitz, who is a partner at the Nurenberg Paris Law Firm said he has dealt with numerous plane accidents. He said even the passengers, who don't have any physical injuries, will most likely be left with emotional ones. Many are left with PTSD symptoms.
"I’ve seen firsthand, what a near death experience can do to someone,” he said.
Southwest said a Boeing 737 left New York at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, heading to Dallas, but an engine failure forced an emergency landing in Philadelphia. A shrapnel from an exploding jet engine crashed a window, causing one of the passengers almost to be sucked outside.
Lebovitz said investigators will be looking into the condition of the engine and its history.
"The FM56-7B has been in service, since 1997 and generally speaking, it has a very good history,” he said.
He added that most likely Southwest Airlines, General Electric and a French company, who manufactured the engine, along with Boeing, who manufactured the aircraft could possibly face lawsuits.
The woman, who died in the accident, Jennifer Riordan was from New Mexico. Lebovitz said other passengers who survived are most likely from different states, which have different rules.
“Ohio law recognizes a claim for emotional or psychic injuries, where as some jurisdictions, you can't recover for emotional distress or post-traumatic stress disorder, unless you are physically injured,” said Lebovitz.
Despite the numerous plane accident cases he has personally covered, he wants to remind people that aviation malfunctions are rare.
"I'm flying out tomorrow, and I have no second thoughts about it," he said.
He said a settlement is usually reached in these type of cases, but around 10 percent of cases do make it to trial.