December 19, 2007
Today, the aviation negligence lawyers at Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. in conjunction with Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C. reached a settlement on behalf of 11 aircraft passengers who were onboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737 airplane bound for Chicago’s Midway Airport, during a snowstorm on December 8, 2005. After landing, the airplane ran off the end of the runway, crashing through fences and colliding with vehicles before coming to a stop. Passengers suffered fear, pre-impact terror, distress and physical harm. The defendants named in the lawsuit included Southwest Airlines Co., The Boeing Company and The City of Chicago. The amount of the settlement is confidential.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the airplane accident to be “the pilots’ failure to use available reverse thrust in a timely manner to safely slow or stop the airplane after landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. This failure occurred because the pilots’ first experience and lack of familiarity with the airplane’s auto brake system distracted them from thrust reverser usage during the challenging landing.”
Aviation negligence attorney David E. Rapoport, a lifetime resident of Chicago and Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C.’s lead trial lawyer, commented: “I have personally prosecuted multiple airlines for the poor judgment and execution of pilots attempting to land in adverse weather conditions. I hope this is the last.”
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. is a personal injury law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. The personal injury attorneys at Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. have achieved multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for individuals with lawsuits arising from medical malpractice, product liability, semitruck and motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries and construction accidents in Illinois and Wisconsin. Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C.’s premier aviation negligence lawyers represent victims of commercial and general aviation disasters nationwide.
If you feel you may be in need of legal services, personally email an attorney from Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. for a free case evaluation or telephone our Chicago office toll free at 866-693-3806.
