Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A lawsuit has been filed, and additional details have been released regarding what happened the day a Boeing 767 jet overshot a Miami International Airport runway and killed five people, according to reporting from local media.
The incident happened on the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 6, when an Amazon cargo plane from 21 Air overran the end of the airport’s Runway 30. In addition to the five tragic deaths, another five people are reportedly injured, local media reported.
The five people that were killed in the van were identified by the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Those who died were Javierk Reyes Quevado, 47; Yoel Rodriguiez Narajo, 53; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; and Julio C. Pineda, 75. At least two other people in the van as well as one other person who was in a separate vehicle were injured in the crash. The pilots, 55-year-old Joseph Carroll and 37-year-old Filipe Silva Molina, were injured and released from the hospital, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz told reporters.
When the plane ran off the runway, it hit a van owned by a cleaning company, killing five of the seven people in the van. The aircraft also hit a Toyota Corolla Cross SUV on a perimeter street being driven by a 79-year-old identified as Eugenio Corredor. As of Thursday, Sept. 10, Corredor remains in critical condition.
Investigators with the National Transportation and Safety Board said that, after reviewing the jet’s flight data, the plane was traveling at nearly 140 mph about 15 seconds before the crash, The Miami Herald reported. The agency’s chief investigator told reporters that it was likely that the pilots were attempting to abort the landing, take off and try again. The nose landing gear and the landing gear on the aircraft’s right side touched down, but the left did not.
When the plane crashed into the two vehicles it was likely traveling at about 110 mph and “at no time does the flight data recorder indicate the pilots engaged speed brakes or reverse thrusters,” the newspaper reported.
Following the crash it has come out that a former pilot for the air-cargo company claims he was fired after highlighting flight safety concerns in a complaint, The Miami Herald reported. Among his claims, the former employee alleges that pilots are not given enough time off between flights and that certain takeoff-speed protocols were violated, among other safety concerns.
The company has denied these allegations, thew newspaper reported.
Leesfield & Partners
Within the last five decades, Leesfield & Partners has represented the victims of crashes involving automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, boat, jet skis, and airplanes. Our skilled trial attorneys work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for every client, obtaining justice and holding responsible parties accountable for the damages that have been caused. This tenacity has earned the firm a reputation both in Florida and nationally. Leesfield & Partners has obtained numerous record verdicts and settlements over the years and has even played a role in highlighting gaps in statewide legislation that have left residents and visitors alike vulnerable to an accident or injury.
When it comes to injuries in the air, our attorneys have decades of experience conducting exhaustive investigations revealing the negligent actions of corporations and manufacturing companies that caused tragic and preventable accidents. In the past, the firm has handled aviation cases in which clients were injured due to mechanical failure, defective products from airplane manufacturers, pilot of other employee error, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic controller errors. Leesfield & Partners has decades of experience handling aviation cases, a practice area of personal injury law that requires specialized knowledge of aviation law and meticulous investigative skills. The firm has previously represented passengers, pilots and innocent bystanders injured or killed due to the negligence of corporations and individuals alike.
Previous Aviation Incidents
The firm previously handled an aviation case in which a 30-year-old co-pilot was killed in a crash due to an issue with the plane’s controls that went unnoticed during pre-flight checks.
The firm secured a $10 million recovery for the co-pilot’s family.
In another aviation case, the firm obtained over $8.5 million for the family.
In a devastating aviation case that resulted in the death of our client’s loved one, Leesfield & partners secured $5.4 million.
Ira Leesfield, Leesfield & Partners’ Founder and Managing Partner, along with Mark A. Sylvester represented the family of a pilot after he and his mother were killed in a single-engine airplane crash. The lawsuit was filed against the plane manufacturer, a service facility and the FAA. In this case, FAA air traffic controllers failed to provide important weather information to the pilot, resulting in the crash amid a severe weather event.
The firm obtained a $2,850,000 settlement in that case.
In a crash involving a helicopter, Leesfield & Partners secured a $1.9 million recovery amount.
The firm also obtained over $1.8 million for a grieving family following a fatal crash.
In an aviation case involving a plane manufacturer, Leesfield & partners secured $630,000 for an injured client.
A Leesfield & Partners case that did not involve a crash but took place on an airplane resulted in life-long scarring to a child who was traveling as an unaccompanied minor. The airline’s employees were meant to be watching over the child but did not. This paved the way for a sick, adult passenger to sexually abuse the child during the flight unbeknownst to flight attendants.
A confidential settlement was obtained by the firm in that case.
Additional Cases
While flying — whether as a career or a recreational pursuit — can be thrilling, it also carries immense responsibility. But piloting an aircraft isn’t the only time lives are at risk in the air.
At Leesfield & Partners, we’ve represented clients who were seriously injured not just in small plane crashes, but also in parasailing accidents, where negligence by tour operators or failure to follow safety protocols led to devastating consequences.
Leesfield & Partners previously represented a family who tragically lost a loved one in a horrific parasailing accident due to the negligence and recklessness of a parasailing operator. The firm obtained a $17 million recovery amount in that case.
In a similar, fatal case that also involved the negligence or a parasailing operator in Florida, Leesfield & Partners secured $15 million for the grieving family.
In a cruise ship excursion case, our client was severely injured and lost her mother as the result of the negligence of a cruise line and an excursion they were selling to passengers. In that case, our client and her mother booked a parasailing adventure while aboard the vessel. When the two were in the air, however, an equipment malfunction sent them both hurdling toward the water below.
The mother was killed, and the daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury. The case settled for $7.25 million.
A recovery amount of over $4.6 million was obtained for another client backed by Leesfield & Partners in a violent parasailing incident that caused brain damage.
In another tragic parasailing incident, Leesfield & Partners secured over $2.8 million on behalf of the family of a client who lost their life and another who sustained serious brain injuries.
In a separate, fatal case against a parasailing corporation, Leesfield & Partners attorneys recovered $2.6 million for a grieving family.
The firm recovered over $1.5 million for one woman who was injured in a parasailing incident at a resort. As a result of the horrific ordeal, she suffered brain damage.
Leesfield & Partners represented the family of another parasailing victim who tragically lost their life while at a resort due to the negligence of the parasailing operators. A recovery amount of more than $1.2 million was obtained for the family in that case.
