Two Lawsuits Filed On Behalf Of Victims
The families of Rebecca Adams and
Joann Wright, both victims of Comair flight 5191 that crashed in
Lexington, KY last Sunday, are suing the airline.
Joshua Isaac Adams, Rebecca Adams' son and executor of her
estate, has retained Clifford Law Offices of Chicago, along with
Wombles and Wadlington of Lexington, who have filed suit on behalf
of Rebecca Adams' estate. The lawsuit -- which names Comair Inc.,
Comair Aircraft Inc. and Comair Services Inc. -- accuses Comair of
negligence and alleges Adams suffered "conscious pain and
suffering" when the plane went down.
The law firms have also filed notice with the Lexington-Fayette
Urban County Airport Corp. and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Airport Board. A state statute requires notice of any potential
claims against the Lexington Airport be filed within seven days of
the event.
As Aero-news reported last
week, the Comair CRJ-100 attempted to take off from
the shorter of two runways at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport,
clipping a tree and crashing before becoming safely airborne. The
flight's First Officer was the sole survivor of the 50 people on
board.
The suit, filed in Fayette Circuit Court, alleges negligence by
Comair employees caused the crash and claims the crew failed
to gain sufficient altitude after departing the runway to avoid
obstructions, and improperly attempted to take off from a runway
that was of insufficient length.
Many questions still surround the circumstances of the accident
and the NTSB investigation continues. Robert Clifford of Clifford
Law Offices told the Chicago Sun-Times the family needs to
have a full part of the investigation, giving it power to subpoena
witnesses who also are being questioned by federal investigators.
At a news conference in Lexington Clifford said other families have
also contacted his firm.
The family of victim Joann Wright has retained Cincinnati
attorney Stan Chesley, who has also filed a suit and a motion for a
preliminary injunction on their behalf. Chesley's motion is
intended to allow his team to investigate before any wreckage is
removed from the scene.
Comair spokesman Nick Miller said he couldn't comment on pending
litigation. Instead, he said "Comair extends its heartfelt sympathy
to everyone affected by the accident and our focus remains on
addressing the needs of family and loved ones in cooperating with
the investigative process."