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Delta Air Lines Flight 4819 flipped over upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, leaving 76 passengers hanging upside down from their seatbelts. Now the company is offering them $30,000 each.
If all passengers accept the offer, the airline will pay out approximately $2.3 million in total.
The CRJ900 twin-jet aircraft, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, was arriving from Minneapolis when it encountered strong winds during its landing attempt. At around 2:15 p.m. ET, the plane landed hard, causing the rear landing gear to buckle and the right wing to shear off in a fireball. Video footage obtained by CNN captured the dramatic incident, which left passengers hanging upside down from their seatbelts.
Miraculously, all 80 people on board, including four crew members, survived. Twenty-one passengers were taken to the hospital but have since been released, according to Delta.
A Delta spokesperson told CNN that the $30,000 offer has “no strings attached” and does not affect passengers’ legal rights. “Delta Care Team representatives are telling customers this gesture has no strings attached and does not affect their rights,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers who accept the compensation are expected to receive the payment shortly after agreeing, according to Thomas A. Demetrio, co-founding partner of the law firm Corboy & Demetrio, which specializes in aviation litigation. “There’s really no reason to dilly-dally,” he said.
Erin Applebaum, a partner at Kreindler, a law firm specializing in aviation accident cases, noted that such initial payments are standard after incidents like this. “It’s a nice gesture, public relations-wise, too, on Delta’s behalf, to help people who may need immediate assistance financially,” Demetrio added.
However, the offer is unlikely to deter passengers from pursuing legal action. Under the Montreal Convention, an international treaty governing air travel, passengers injured on international flights can claim up to $200,000 without proving airline negligence. If injuries exceed that amount or if negligence is proven, compensation could surpass the cap.
Applebaum explained that passengers have two years to file a lawsuit, allowing time to assess long-term injuries and other impacts. “There’s plenty of time to wait and see how injuries develop and things go for these passengers,” she said. She expects most cases to be resolved out of court within 12 to 18 months.
The incident has raised questions about aviation safety and passenger rights, with many watching closely to see how Delta handles the aftermath of the crash. For now, the airline’s compensation offer serves as an immediate gesture of goodwill, though the full extent of its liability remains to be determined.
Source:NKONKONSA.com
