Whoops wrong button.
Anyhoo, is bringing the airlines to their knees financially the answer?
Who the hell could have forseen what happened 2 years ago?
This is yet another example of what will destroy this country.
This is bullshit, and lots of it. They’re suing the Port Authority because… what, they didn’t make their buildings utterly invincible? Find a code violation, and then we’ll talk. And why the fuck are they suing Boeing? “How dare you make planes that can fly!” What possible blame could Boeing have? Because they didn’t install anti-hijack devices in their planes?
I’ve seen cow pies that make more legitimate lawsuits.
What next? Will the airlines sue the dead passengers for not killing the hijackers?
Well, apparently the allegation is that Boeing should have made it impossible to get into the cockpit from the cabin.
Anyway, i agree with everyone else–ridiculous lawsuit. This is the bit that really gets me:
How the fuck were they supposed to do that?
I think this is simply the result of the frustration at having no-one to punish. The hijackers are already dead, no-one’s manages to find Bin Laden, and people still want someone to blame.
I’m not going to rag on the judge for allowing the suit to go forward, becuase i don’t know all the arguments or what legal constraints bound his decision.
Sheesh. Stupid fucking people. There was NO code and NO regulation that required this. We do NOT design our buildings, planes, trains, or automobiles (no pun intended) to take into account every single possible set of extenuating or extreme circumstances that might come down the pike. The 9/11 hijackings were an unforeseeable act. Why should designers take into account possibilities that they couldn’t possibly predict?
Morons. Maybe if we should try to get a “user pays” law instituted before this suit goes to trial…
It’s not like these people weren’t offered compensation.
These stupid fucking lawsuits divert badly needed resources and are a total waste of our money.
Fucking pieces of shit.
Yes, please.
Sue the people who made jet fuel flamable.
Nah, I think it’s about money.
While I feel sympathy for the family & friends of the victims, no amount of money is going to bring their loved ones back. This will only cripple an already struggling aviation industry.
The hijackings were not an unforeseeable act, and substantial debate occurred prior to 9-11 whether to make it more difficult to gain access to cockpits, for example.
As it happens, the NTSB opposed those who would have made cockpits more difficult to get into – there was an incident where a locked cockpit door hampered flight attendants’ efforts to make the cabin crew aware of a smoke condition.
And I would say that prior to 9-11, the NTSB was correct – the balance of risks fell in favor of making cockpits more accessible. But that sounds to me like a not insane question of fact for a jury to decide.
There is a disturbing trend in our society to assume that if something bad happens, someone must be to blame. There are times, like this one, when that is sadly not true. I assume the lawsuits will not be successful.
Unfortunely the money used to defend them will be all too real.
Happy anniversary. :rolleyes:
You, sir, are more optomistic than I.
But this should serve as a reason for us to answer our jury summons’.
Actually, I can see the rationale for dragging the airlines into court.
For one thing, various parties (including pilots) have been asking for about thirty years to improve cockpit security. This was not done largely because of price. Since 9/11, however, the airlines have decided it is cheaper to replace doors rather than entire airplanes, flight crews, and passenger lists.
Second, the Federal Aviation Regulations make it very clear that the pilot(s) (and, in legal cases, the owner of an airline) is entirely fiscally liable for damage caused by an accident, even if the accident is out of his/her/their control. This was explained to me in ground school “if you land in farmer Jones’ field and damage his corn crop, you must compensate him for the cost of the lost crop”. It’s why whenever a plane of any size crashes the pilot (or his/her estate) is sued.
I think, however, at a certain point this line of reasoning becomes ridiculous. What good does suing the airlines, Port Authority, etc., do? As pointed out, it won’t bring anyone back. There are other means of obtaining compensation (which is unique to this situation - usually crime victims are shit out of luck). It’s ridiculous to hold these parties responsible for the actions of terrorists intent on causing mayhem. You can’t build and plan for EVERY emergency, and there will always be something unforeseen or unlikely that just may, in fact, happen.
I think this is being done at the urging of lawyers who will be the only ones to profit from this. IF they win the case they will… what? Get money from already bankrupt airlines? The Port Authority? How big an award?
It’s crazy. Although there is a right to sue anybody in this country, I’m still hoping that, after this sees a day in court, the greedy bastards will lose.
The pilot’s estate is sued? Wow.
Can you imagine being the family?
Your loved one has just died, possibly (nay, probably) due to a situation entirely beyond his or her control, and suddenly you find yourself fighting bankruptcy because the estate is being sued.
That’s some seriously fucked-up shit.
Broomstick, do you have any links where we can read about this happening, or the rules governing pilot liability?
Are the pilots’ estates actually being sued in these cases?
Zev Steinhardt
Like a center tank pump spark igniting the fuel vapors is the pilot’s fault.
I think *Mace summed it up nicely, it seems like someone always has to be at fault.