Delta Airlines Provides Financial Reward of $30,000 Per Passenger for the Flight Involved in the Toronto Crash Incident
If every traveler involved agrees, the airline is set to shell out roughly $2.3 million in total compensation.
Representatives from Delta's Care Team have reassured passengers that this offer carries no strings attached and won't affect their legal rights, according to a statement made to CNN.
On February 17, around 2:15 p.m. EST, the CRJ900 twin-jet aircraft suffered a hard landing, resulting in an unfortunate crash, fire, and eventual overturn on the runway. Winds had been reported as strong in Toronto throughout the day.
luckily, all 80 individuals aboard – including the four crew members – emerged unscathed. Twenty-one of these passengers sought medical attention post-incident, but they have since been discharged from the hospital, as reported by the airline.
However, the exact procedure for distributing this compensation to the passengers remains unclear at this point in time.
Thomas A. Demetrio, a co-founding partner at Corboy & Demetrio, a law firm specializing in personal injury, commercial litigation, and aviation litigation, believes that accepting the compensation promptly is advisable. "There's really no reason to dilly-dally," he stated.
An initial payment following incidents like this one is standard practice, as Erin Applebaum, a partner at Kreindler, a renowned aviation accident law firm representing some of the passengers, points out.
This gesture from Delta could be viewed as a smart public relations move, as Demetrio suggests, as it allows the airlines to provide immediate financial aid to the passengers who might be in need.
However, this payment likely won't deter passengers desperate for compensation from pursuing legal action, Applebaum adds. Their compensation requests would cover any medical expenses, lost income, and psychological distress ensuing from the incident.
International travel cases are covered by an agreement known as the Montreal Convention. According to this treaty, passengers harmed on international trips can seek compensation up to $200,000, assuming they can demonstrate the existence of an accident, even if the airline isn't held responsible for it.
Should the passengers incur expenses beyond the limit, they are entitled to additional compensation without any dispute--but only if they can prove airline negligence. When fault is found on the airline's part, the maximum compensation exceeds the cap of $200,000.
Passengers have a two-year window to file a lawsuit under the Montreal Convention. Applebaum predicts that most lawsuits will be resolved outside of court within 12 to 18 months, prior to any trial.
The business of distributing the compensation to the passengers after the CRJ900 incident is currently under discussion. Delta's offer of compensation for the hard landing incident does not affect the passengers' legal rights, as stated by the airline's Care Team. Despite accepting the initial payment, passengers who incur expenses beyond the $200,000 limit under the Montreal Convention are entitled to additional compensation if they can prove airline negligence.
