Tue, Jan 01, 2008
Wants Refund For $1.1 Million In Bills For Sole Survivor Of LEX
Accident
What price, survival? For the insurance company paying the bills
for James Polehinke, the lone survivor of the August 2006 runway
overrun crash of Comair flight 5191, the answer is $1.1 million so
far... and they want their money back.
According to The Associated Press, the Insurance Company of the
State of Pennsylvania filed documents in court last week asking for
a refund for Polehinke's medical costs, should Comair win any of
its countersuits involving the accident, in which the flight crew
of the loaded CRJ-100 attempted to take off from the wrong runway
at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY.
As ANN reported, Polehinke
was the first officer on the doomed flight, as well as the flying
pilot at the time of the accident. He was pulled from the cockpit
by rescuers, but suffered numerous broken bones and brain damage.
He also had one of his legs amputated.
Family members of many of the passengers lost in the crash have
sued Comair. The Delta subsidiary has responded with lawsuits
against LEX director Michael Gobb, as well as airport chart maker
Jeppesen-Sanderson and Tetra-Tech, the company working on a runway
construction project at LEX at the time of the crash. The airline
claims the airport failed to provide adequate notice of detours
along the route to the runway due to construction.
The airport itself cannot be sued by Comair, ruled a federal
judge last August... and the airline would require a special waiver
to sue the FAA, which operates the airport's control facility.
Blue Grass attorney Tom Halbleib told the AP no new allegations
were made by the insurance company against airport officials, and
predicted the judge would eventually release LEX from the case.
Spokespeople for Comair, the insurance company, and Polehinke did
not immediately return the AP's calls last week.
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