Crash landing potentially bringing multiple lawsuits from passengers

Jacksonville attorney in touch with numerous Flight 293 passengers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friday night's crash of a Boeing 737 into the St. Johns River is now potentially bringing multiple lawsuits from passengers.

On Tuesday, News4Jax spoke with a Jacksonville attorney who has been in touch with numerous passengers who survived the flight.

"Yesterday, we got another call, another call and another call," attorney John Phillips said. "This plane came down very very fast, bounced. Some kind of felt like something was going to go wrong before it went wrong. Some were enjoying the lightning out the window before their face slammed into the seat in front of them."

Phillips said no suit has been filed, as his firm is just in the investigatory phase. But he said there will likely be a focus on the charter company, Miami Air International.

News4Jax contacted its offices and was referred to a 1-800 number, which offered a prerecorded message.  

"Please visit our website at www.miamiair.com for the most updated information on this response," the message said. 

A check of the website shows a statement. There's no mention of responding to potential legal action. However, there is a message that the company is offering $2,500 to Flight 293 passengers and that this should not impact any potential lawsuit.  

But Phillips warns that doesn't mean passengers should sign any documents to receive the money without caution and reading the fine print.

Tyler Hall is one passenger from Texas who told News4Jax by phone that he won't accept the money until he's conferred with lawyers about whether this could affect a future lawsuit.

Another passenger told News4Jax he doesn't have any plans to file suit.

"I’m not really sure why I would do that. I don’t have a litigious kind of mind," Bob Gibson said.  

He added he's not certain if he will accept the $2,500 payment.  

"I guess they would have to explain to me what it was for. Is it just generosity? That makes sense but if they’re trying to buy piece of mind for themselves, not so much," he said.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.