Only in the United States do you try to sue for witnessing a tragic event that couldn’t have reasonably been prevented…
In this post:
An airport worker’s incredibly tragic death
On June 23, 2023, a worker at San Antonio Airport (SAT) died after being ingested into the engine of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319. The man worked for Unifi Aviation, a ground handling company that Delta contracts to.
While many people had at first assumed that this was an accident, investigators ruled that this was actually a suicide. My gosh, that’s simply so beyond awful, and I can’t even imagine the headspace the person was in to do that.
To state the obvious, I’m sure this was also traumatizing to those who witnessed this, from the man’s colleagues, to passengers on the flight who were looking out the window. However, I think the latest update takes matters a step too far.
Woman who witnessed death sues for $1 million
This week, a 27-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas over this incident. The traveler was returning from California, where she had attended a church conference and graduation ceremony, as she had just completed a two year program for “equipping women for the ministry.”
She was on this flight in seat 11A, and claims to have seen this horrible incident unfold. The woman is now suing both Unifi Aviation and the estate of the man who died for $1 million, claiming she has “nightmares and flashbacks.”
The woman is now requesting that a jury award damages for mental anguish, physical impairment, loss of wage-earning capacity, DTPA treble damages, reasonable and necessary medical expenses, and attorney fees.
She alleges that Unifi Aviation was aware of the man’s mental state, and could have prevented this incident from occurring. The lawsuit cites “alarming” messages that the worker had left on social media regarding his mental health, though the only evidence included in the lawsuit were messages from 2018.
She is alleging “various claims against Unifi and the former employee’s estate, including claims for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and alleged violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.”
Is this lawsuit absurd or reasonable?
I don’t want to downplay how unpleasant this incident must have been to witness, and how I’m sure the image of it sticks with you for a long time. This is simply awful for all involved. However, I think sometimes it’s possible for something very bad to happen, and for no one to be at fault.
The concept of suing for witnessing something like this seems so off base and greedy. It’s pretty clear that this man struggled with his mental health, and that’s really sad. However, the only documented signs of his mental health struggles were around five years ago.
Looking at Unifi Aviation job posts online, ramp agents at San Antonio Airport are paid $15.50 per hour, and it requires no job experience. Does the plaintiff think that anyone who has ever had mental health issues or any sort of run in with the laws should just not be able to work ever again? How do you suggest they survive and support themselves? To my knowledge, this is the first time that anyone has ever taken their life in this way, so the company couldn’t have predicted this was going to happen.
As a woman of God, you’d think she’d show compassion for those who struggle, rather than making it about her, and how she can profit off this tragedy. And she’s not just going after a large, for-profit company, but also after the man’s family, who has suffered enough.
At least that’s my interpretation on the Bible and what Jesus would have done, but maybe I’m wrong.
Bottom line
In June 2023, a ramp worker operating a Delta flight at San Antonio Airport was fatally ingested into an engine, and tragically this was determined to be a suicide. A passenger onboard who witnessed this is now suing both the ground handling company and the man’s estate for $1 million, arguing this should have been prevented, because there were signs this guy had mental health struggles.
What do you make of this traveler’s lawsuit?
I understand her trauma, but going after the man's estate. He's her age - both 27, so going after his estate likely means going after his parents or something. He's unlikely to have the million dollars she wants because he's working a near-minimum wage job.
I hope she realises how silly this is
Amen. I think profiteering on a tragedy like this is deplorable. It's not about her, it's about that person's family and colleagues.
Florida is one of the states where there has to be a close familial relationship between the onlooker and the person harmed in order to bring a "physic trauma" claim. Sounds like Texas is similar. Case will be (and should be) dismissed. In the meanwhile, she's hoping defendants will throw her some nuisance money to go away. Can you imagine allowing anyone who witnesses anything harmful to someone else to be able to cash in?
Ahh… the good ole US of A. Finally I have a case for suing the U.S. airlines every time I have to fly with them. I can hardly think of an experience more traumatic than flying aboard any of the U.S. airlines.
And I should also mention that @Eskimo traumatizes this forum by droning endlessly about Xi Jinping, the C.C.P., aircraft automation, an mocking the dead and seriously injured (and countless variations thereof...) Yet Lucky has not yet sued him for ruining his site.
"As a woman of God, you’d think she’d show compassion for those who struggle, rather than making it about her...."
Perfectly put.
It might be the woman who is showing her greedy side but more likely it is a bottom feeding shyster lawyer convincing her that this is her chance to retire early, knowing full well that even if she got $1mil she wouldn't see much of it.
Tells you everything’s you need to know that’s wrong with the US (and other) society today.
After that mcdonalds incident im not surprised if anyone can just sue a company for absurd reasons and profit off of it, this country's getting more absurd everytime we breath, methinks
Which McDonald’s incident? You mean the perfectly reasonable lawsuit over hot contents that McDonald’s made us all think was frivolous but really wasn’t?
Morally corrupt lawsuit -- How dare this person take money away from the family's estate -- bc of what she "saw" and "experienced" -- I hope she loses and pays attorney fees.
I am not sure it is completely about the woman's idea. It could be about some lawyer that is trying to make a name for himself or who wants to make a buck as well. I really do hope this woman's case gets thrown out of court. The more people like this that win the more of such cases there will be. There are many things we see or experience on a daily basis that...
I am not sure it is completely about the woman's idea. It could be about some lawyer that is trying to make a name for himself or who wants to make a buck as well. I really do hope this woman's case gets thrown out of court. The more people like this that win the more of such cases there will be. There are many things we see or experience on a daily basis that I would prefer not to have experienced but that does not mean I can result to such means. As others indicated how far does this go....You saw it on the news so can you sue the news organization? You saw it on social media....
Disgusting act from this woman, she doesn't deserve anything.
What if I saw this on social media. Can I get in on the $1m? She like so many "religious" types aka the mega church pastors who needs diamonds and Cadillacs sugar good said so probably came from such a conference whose slogan is probably "you dirt poor? You have no talent? Can't sake the money maker? Well be a pastor"
Suing the guy’s estate. She is preparing for the ministry. Is she going to counsel those seeking guidance to sue their families. What a soulless person.
No way would I expect the courts to curry favour with this witness
Money grabbing in my mind
This woman is an absolute cockroach! Peak America in 2023.
I was traumatised just reading the story. Can I sue too? Asking for a friend who also read about it, after I mentioned it to him.
Casualty adjuster here. Not for commercial airline, though I wish. In certain states you can make a claim if you are in the Danger Zone. This however only applies to immediate family members. The danger zone is within 12 feet in CA of the impact.
This lady is greedy, and taking advantage of the situation to make a quick buck. If I were delta, I would ban her for life immediately for being a jerk.
I'm sorry, but as a fellow ramp agent/baggage handler, this woman is vile for trying to profit off of this man's suicide. I feel for her being traumatized. It WAS a traumatic event, but not for 1mil. That's excessive and she knows it. I would understand an amount to help with therapy and that's it. On top of that, what about the ground crew? Co-workers who knew him? Gosh, especially the Lead.
What is not...
I'm sorry, but as a fellow ramp agent/baggage handler, this woman is vile for trying to profit off of this man's suicide. I feel for her being traumatized. It WAS a traumatic event, but not for 1mil. That's excessive and she knows it. I would understand an amount to help with therapy and that's it. On top of that, what about the ground crew? Co-workers who knew him? Gosh, especially the Lead.
What is not often known is that the Lead stands at the top of the gate during the inbound of flights. They stand somewhat underneath the end of the jet bridge and when planes come in, the captain's side engine is the closest to them and they have a front row view of everything. So when this happened, they saw everything and were extremely close. I can't imagine how this would have looked to that Lead and what PTSD THEY'RE experiencing. Or how about the other agents on that gate who STILL had to work that flight to get the bags out? Which were in the front bins so everything is right THERE. The drivers picking those bags up by? Any strollers/mobility devices that need to go upstairs?? The agents would have NO WAY of avoiding it. That tarp could only do so much and the agents already saw everything. MAN! My HEART still goes out to all the agents who worked that gate that day!
That woman though? Shame on her for this. Get therapy.
This woman will need therapy for the lifetime PTSD she will have. No one should see something like that. So sad for all involved.I wonder about the airline staff on the ground that also saw this happen and the aftermath.
Airline staff will get workers’ compensation benefits to cover their therapy and other treatment costs, time off work, and possibly a large award for “permanent impairment” if they have lasting effects.
Frankly, I'm traumatized just reading about it. Guess it's time to sue OMAT.
I am a lawyer although admittedly I don't practice in Texas. Regardless, I cannot imagine how this woman thinks she could (or should) recover anything. At least where I practice, the only way witnessing something could potentially lead to a lawsuit is if the woman was in the "zone of danger" and thus at least theoretically could have been physically harmed by any alleged negligence. Watching from the safety of her airplane seat - while...
I am a lawyer although admittedly I don't practice in Texas. Regardless, I cannot imagine how this woman thinks she could (or should) recover anything. At least where I practice, the only way witnessing something could potentially lead to a lawsuit is if the woman was in the "zone of danger" and thus at least theoretically could have been physically harmed by any alleged negligence. Watching from the safety of her airplane seat - while admittedly traumatizing - is not actionable. Suit will likely be thrown out at the summary judgment stage or settled for nuisance value.
Leave it to a woman to find a way to become the victim and profit off of a man's misery
I can appreciate how the circumstances of this lawsuit are troubling prima facie, but most of us aren’t lawyers or psychiatrists, and we shouldn’t be judging without the requisite knowledge and experience to grok what is going on.
Isn't it a prerequisite of posting online to not be an expert?
Some states allow bystander claims *IF* you witness a close family member's disfigurement or death due to an accident negligently caused by the defendant. Such a claim ordinarily cannot be maintained if you don't have a close personal relationship to the victim. For example, if a mother witnesses her son's grisly death as a result of the defendant's negligence (e.g., he's run over by a taxi cab that ran a red light, disfiguring the body),...
Some states allow bystander claims *IF* you witness a close family member's disfigurement or death due to an accident negligently caused by the defendant. Such a claim ordinarily cannot be maintained if you don't have a close personal relationship to the victim. For example, if a mother witnesses her son's grisly death as a result of the defendant's negligence (e.g., he's run over by a taxi cab that ran a red light, disfiguring the body), the mother might be able to bring a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress. But strangers on the sidewalk next to her would not have such a claim.
Texas law is extremely restrictive on these kinds of claims, and though I haven't dug into the arguments, if the facts are as described, I think the claim probably will be dismissed without discovery. Without her personally having a close relationship to the deceased, there's not really a good basis for the claim.
It is hard to imagine how witnessing such a horrific event could affect a person. I can easily believe that she's suffering from severe PTSD, which is a completely life changing condition that is underestimated by those who haven't experienced it, and that she suffered adverse financial outcomes because of the condition. Why she include the decedent's estate in the lawsuit is a bit puzzling - perhaps she felt he had a choice of how/where...
It is hard to imagine how witnessing such a horrific event could affect a person. I can easily believe that she's suffering from severe PTSD, which is a completely life changing condition that is underestimated by those who haven't experienced it, and that she suffered adverse financial outcomes because of the condition. Why she include the decedent's estate in the lawsuit is a bit puzzling - perhaps she felt he had a choice of how/where to take his own life, and he consciously chose this very public and gruesome method knowing many will witness and be affected by his action, so there should be some sort of a punitive consequence?
Is it traumatic? Most likely. She shouldn't be seeking out a $1M pay day though. Covered costs of therapy and medication(s) for as long as needed and maybe comp for time off she had to take? That's reasonable.
I fail to see how $1M is suddenly going to cure are her ails.
After seeing her description about the aftermath I too started dreaming and agitating , can I sue her or her named defendant for some compensation
She’s suing the estate of the man died ? Americans are the most vile, crass people. They will try every opportunity to make money. No empathy. Disgusting.
Same with a flight diversion due to a medical emergency. Passenger died but no , they don’t care , I want thousands for inconvenience. So the next time that person needs help I hope they don’t get it.
The population of the United States is approximately 340 million people. The total number of US citizens is roughly around 300 million. I don't think it's fair to make such a broad generalization to stereotype all Americans as "the most vile, crass people." That comment says a lot more about you than the entire nation you're trying to vilify.
Many countries have stereotypes. And some people from those countries may live up to those stereotypes....
The population of the United States is approximately 340 million people. The total number of US citizens is roughly around 300 million. I don't think it's fair to make such a broad generalization to stereotype all Americans as "the most vile, crass people." That comment says a lot more about you than the entire nation you're trying to vilify.
Many countries have stereotypes. And some people from those countries may live up to those stereotypes. But that doesn't make it OK to disparage an entire country of people.
by this logic, everyone who saw the 9/11 attack could have sued as well. makes no sense..
People all the time see horrific things. It's a fact of life. Does that mean everyone needs to sue somebody else? Of course not. Sounds like nothing more than a money grab.
In the United States, yes. Love us some free money. Except when it comes from the government in the form of social services.
Shakespeare was right,
86 all the personal injury attorneys, they are parasites
Obviously she missed the "do not store up for yourself treasures on earth" part of the Bible. The only involvement she should have with the victim is prayers for the friends and family.
She should sue the conference she went to as clearly she wasn't equipped to be a functioning well regulated let alone a woman of the ministry. What a clown.
Should she not pay Delta for the opportunity to witness one of the rare miracles where a God's creation got literally sucked up into heaven?
I bet this is a case of sour grapes because she God didn't want her.
Unfortunately, being a person who attends a Christian conference or goes to church, or even (sadly) is a Pastor or church leader does not necessarily make that person one who truly follows Jesus. There are many people who claim the title of “Christian”, but don’t live out the actual values. And that goes in both socio-political directions (left/right, conservative/progressive, however you want to categorize it). That’s not to say she’s not genuinely a Christian, as...
Unfortunately, being a person who attends a Christian conference or goes to church, or even (sadly) is a Pastor or church leader does not necessarily make that person one who truly follows Jesus. There are many people who claim the title of “Christian”, but don’t live out the actual values. And that goes in both socio-political directions (left/right, conservative/progressive, however you want to categorize it). That’s not to say she’s not genuinely a Christian, as EVERY Christian gets things wrong. Nobody is perfect. That’s the reason we need Jesus! But there are some people who are actively trying to get it right and just mess up sometimes, and there are others who are actively trying to do what they want while hiding behind the “Christian” label.
She should immediately return her diploma for equipping women for the ministry. Clearly she has learned nothing of value. Maybe she could sue the school?
the lady is out of her damn mind, and it's not the fault of the tragic suicide that she tragically witnessed.
If an employee does something that is not part of their job and it causes harm to another person, so long as the employer has taken reasonable steps to prevent the action, through training for example, typically the employer won’t be held responsible.
What's more disturbing is that this woman found a lawyer who's willing to file such a lawsuit.
Ever heard of "ambulances chasers"?
Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions assume this person is being “greedy”. Maybe that’s the case maybe not.
Did the person seek mental help treatment immediately following the event ? Are there any eyewitnesses of immediate family members or co workers that this person has been traumatized.
Finally after legal fees , taxes , expenses this victim would see much less than 1 million. Not much for something they may have...
Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions assume this person is being “greedy”. Maybe that’s the case maybe not.
Did the person seek mental help treatment immediately following the event ? Are there any eyewitnesses of immediate family members or co workers that this person has been traumatized.
Finally after legal fees , taxes , expenses this victim would see much less than 1 million. Not much for something they may have to relive in their heads for the rest of their lives or many years to come
You sound like their lawyer
Maybe she should just pray on it and leave it up to her god to take care of her.
Well well well. I reread the article and it seems the person is likely a Christian white Karen from rural Texas hence all the self-denial racist comments.
I've never understood how we started letting these cases win to begin with. How does monetary gain help if you're suffering from PTSD and other mental affects? $1m hits your account and all of a sudden you have sweet dreams? (Rhetorical/sarcastic questions).
You’re right. Why monetary compensation? Well further down the road the victim may need more psychiatric treatment and rack up medical bills. Maybe they lost wages from work.
Then she should seek to have those paid on an as needed basis. Obviously this isn't truly what she's after.
She must be a member of Jerry Falwell Jr. ministry.
While witnessing the incident obviously would be traumatic and haunting, the woman is a disgrace, looking to get rich of the misfortune of another person. Suing the victim's estate is the lowest of the low. What an awful, disgusting person she is.
Maybe suicide is against the religion of the woman, maybe she’s against people not getting mental help from the parties and people closest to them
and she’s on this kick for one or both of those reasons? Or she’s seeking money because she’s either in need of the money for her own mental healthcare or greedy. Whatever it is, it seems rather unseemly to go after the relatives of the dead for the actions of the dead.
It doesn't matter. My opinion on
suicide is the same as my opinion on abortion. You are allowed to practice your own religious beliefs. Your freedom ends when it hits someone else. You are free to swing your fist in public, but your fist-swinging freedom ends at my nose (either physically or threatened). Your religion bans abortion? Don't have one. Your religion bans suicide? Don't do it. Your religion abhors homosexuality? Don't engage in...
It doesn't matter. My opinion on
suicide is the same as my opinion on abortion. You are allowed to practice your own religious beliefs. Your freedom ends when it hits someone else. You are free to swing your fist in public, but your fist-swinging freedom ends at my nose (either physically or threatened). Your religion bans abortion? Don't have one. Your religion bans suicide? Don't do it. Your religion abhors homosexuality? Don't engage in homosexual acts. If you must impose your own morality on others, move to Iran. I hear that's a lovely spot for bigots to put down roots.
If she is a woman of faith, I think there's a special place in the other location just for her; not where she think she is actually headed.
Disgusting and wholly unsurprising that she's involved with the church. Nothing they love more than a money grab and playing martyr. Suing the estate is despicable.
Any lawyers here? I’d like to sue this woman for $2 million for the mental anguish caused by reading about her stupid lawsuit.
I am unable to work or provide for myself knowing that such an idiotic and callous person exists in the world and is breathing the same air.
The family of the deceased should sue this woman for launching such a frivolous lawsuit and causing them mental anguish, physical impairment, loss of wage-earning capacity, DTPA treble damages, reasonable and necessary medical expenses, and attorney fees.
Absurd all the way. I hope this woman gets $0.00 out of this. What a selfish idiot.
Shame on the ambulance chasing lawyer that agreed to file such a frivolous lawsuit, probably works for tRump!
Political commentary and opinions are unnecessary regardless of any commenters political views. They bring nothing beneficial to the discussion
Than you for saying this. The addition of this unrelated information was done for a purpose. Maybe in the future OMAAT could report on the person's credit-score or income to debt ratio. That at least may be relevant to the individual's motivations.
Clearly doesn’t follow any religious path worth following if she has such little compassion to sue the family of the person who died.