Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 1990 TAG: 9007250519
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B/1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
John and Patricia Hood each filed suits Monday and Tuesday in Roanoke Circuit Court.
The Hoods were shaken but not seriously injured last Sept. 20, when an airplane leaving LaGuardia Airport suddenly aborted its takeoff and skidded off the end of the runway and into the river.
Two people - a Vinton woman and her daughter-in-law - died in the accident.
The Hoods allege in their lawsuits, each of which asks for $2.75 million in damages, that USAir commited at least seven negligent acts that contributed to the accident.
Among the allegations: Airline officials failed to conduct appropriate preflight procedures; the plane had not been properly inspected and maintained; and USAir was negligent in the "selection, composition, training and scheduling of the flight crew."
Shortly after the accident, the pilot of the Boeing 737-400 left the scene and could not be questioned by investigators.
The lawsuit states that after skidding into the river, the aircraft struck a trestle supporting airport lights and broke into several pieces.
"We were waiting for it to stop, but the next thing we knew the plane was in the water, and it just broke apart," John Hood said in an interview one day after the accident. "We were in row 10 and it broke apart at row 8."
The lawsuits also claim that USAir officials failed to conduct appropriate evacuation and rescue efforts.
Hood said he and his wife had to swim about 300 feet to a pier, where they clung for almost an hour before help arrived.
The Hoods were treated for exposure. According to the lawsuits, they have suffered "bodily injury . . . mental anguish and severe emotional distress."
John Hood declined to comment on the lawsuits Tuesday, and his attorney could not be reached for comment.
A USAir official at the company's Arlington headquarters also declined to comment, saying it is the airline's policy not to discuss pending litigation.
Although the accident happened in New York, the lawsuits stated that legal action is being taken in Roanoke because USAir "regularly conducts affairs and business" there.
by CNB