Family of Escalator Accident Victim Files Lawsuit Against Alaska Airline
The family of an elderly woman who died of her injuries after an escalator accident at the Portland, Oregon airport recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the airline and its wheelchair assistance contractor over the tragic incident. The family of the 75-year-old woman and great-grandmother allege that the airline and its contractor were negligent when they failed to properly assist the victim while on her way to her connecting flight.
The case began in June 2017 when a Washington family was headed back to Spokane after a month long trip to Maui, Hawaii. According to the lawsuit, filed in King County, Washington, the airliner and its door to door contractor were negligent in failing to assist the victim under the Air Carrier Access Act. Furthermore, the family claims they made arrangements with the flight operator, Alaska Airlines, to ensure that the victim reached her connecting flight.
The victim sustained her injuries after touching down in Portland. The family’s lawsuit states that they made arrangements with Alaska Airlines to escort the victim to her connecting flight but no one was at the gate to assist her. As a result, the elderly victim became disoriented and wandered the airport in her electric wheelchair looking for her flight home.
Tragically, the victim mistook an escalator for an elevator and tumbled down the solid steel stairs, sustaining serious cuts to her face and a leg injury that required emergency surgery. Three months after the accident doctors were forced to remove the victim’s right leg after she suffered an infection in her foot. The victim suffered constant pain and low blood pressure after the surgery, from which she never fully recovered and passed away just three months later.
The family’s lawsuit claims that neither the airliner nor its contractor, Huntleigh USA, has any mechanisms in place to prevent the tragic accident or anything like it and the victim suffered her injuries as a result. The wrongful death lawsuit claims that after disembarking the plane, staff assisted the victim into her electric wheelchair but essentially abandoned her and allowed her to wander the airport looking for her connecting flight.
As typical in many catastrophic escalator accidents, the defendants in this case have chosen to deny the claim and have gone so far as to blame the victim’s family and the victim herself for the catastrophic accident. Complex cases like the ones in this case require an experienced and dedicated attorney who understands how to deal with powerful entities like the parties involved in this case and help victims recover the vital compensation necessary to be made whole again after a serious accident.
Escalator Accident Lawyers for Individuals and Families
If you or a loved one was seriously hurt in a tragic event, contact the escalator accident attorneys at Cash, Krugler & Fredericks for a consultation about your case. Let our experienced injury attorneys handle your case while you and your family focus on healing and recovery.
