Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 Boeing 737 Chicago Midway Airport Crash Victims Settle Lawsuits

December 19, 2007 - Today the aviation litigation lawyers at Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., in conjunction with Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C., reached a settlement on behalf of eleven passengers who were on-board Southwest Airlines flight 1248, a Boeing 737 airplane bound for Chicago's Midway Airport during a snowstorm on December 8, 2005. After landing, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway crashing through fences and colliding with vehicles before coming to a stop. Passengers suffered fear, pre-impact terror, distress, and physical harm. The defendants named in the lawsuit included Southwest Airlines Co., The Boeing Company, and The City of Chicago. The amount of the settlements is confidential.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident to be "The pilots' failure to use available reverse thrust in a timely manner to safely slow or stop the airplane after landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. This failure occurred because the pilots' first experience and lack of familiarity with the airplane's auto brake system distracted them from thrust reverser usage during the challenging landing."

Aviation attorney David E. Rapoport, a lifetime resident of Chicago and Rapoport Law Office's lead trial lawyer commented: "I have personally prosecuted multiple airlines for the poor judgment and execution of pilots attempting to land in adverse weather conditions. I hope this is the last."

For further information about airplane crash litigation legal services email Rapoport Law Offices, P.C. or call our office at 800-545-6437 (toll free) or 312-327-9880