Suit Alleges LEX Lighting Design 'Erratic And Haphazard'

The lone survivor of the Comair Flight 5191 accident has filed a lawsuit against the company that designed Blue Grass Airport's runway and taxi lights.

James Polehinke survived the accident that claimed the lives of the other 49 people on board the CRJ-100 that mistakenly took off from the wrong, too-short runway at LEX in the early morning hours of August 27, 2006 in Lexington, KY, and crashed. He lost a leg and suffered severe head injuries.

Polehinke's lawsuit against AVCON, Inc. alleges the company failed to use appropriate care in its lighting design, calling it erratic and haphazard, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Federal investigators have said the main runway's lights were operational that morning, but the center lights were not.

As ANN reported, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled last month there were several factors that led to the accident.

"This accident has led us into the briar patch of human behavior," said NTSB board member Debbie Hersman. "No simple cause. No single solution. No 'aha' moment."

Polehinke faces a number of wrongful death lawsuits from families of victims of the crash.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.avconinc.com