JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's been more than a week since the 737 Miami Air flight skidded off the runway and into the St. Johns River with 136 passengers on board. Passengers who could be considering filing lawsuits about the close call.
Jacksonville attorney John Phillips represents 13 of those passengers. He said there have not been any lawsuits filed at this time, and his law firm is focusing on getting the property and belongings back to the passengers who own them.
Recommended Videos
Miami Air offered $2,500 to each of the 136 passengers on board the flight for their inconvenience.
“We are negotiating with the airlines to make sure there are no consequences whatsoever that can ever be brought up if they got the $2,500,” Phillips said.
He said for someone who was not injured in the mishap, the money may be enough, but for others, it’s a different story.
“There are people who lost computers. There are people who have broken noses, (who had) concussions (and) threw up for four to five days. For those cases, it’s not going to be enough,” Phillips said.
While Phillips said his firm is in the investigation phase, it's looking into maintenance and operation issues, as well as pilot error.
According to Phillips, passengers can sue for any unreimbursed losses, meaning if the $2,500 doesn’t cover their losses and personal property, they can sue for that, as well as personal injuries related to medical bills, future medical bills, pain, and suffering. They also could sue for post-traumatic-stress-disorder.
“The most important thing we think that really could’ve solved some level of injury was simple as a warning, 'Hey, we're about to crash into a river, hey, brace yourself.' None of that was ever uttered,” Phillips said.
This could be the foundation of the lawsuits since the passengers were not warned of what was to come, according to the firm.
Phillips is offering pro bono services to anyone on the plane to assist them during this time.