Delta offering $30,000 to crash victims of the Canada crash would you take it?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Delta probably will have anyone who accepts the $30,000 sign a no litigation agreement. Would you accept the $30,000. I would decline and hire the best attorney I can find. What would you do?

[kork13]

The article I saw actually specifically stated that the offer is "no strings attached" -- merely a $2.5M investment in goodwill toward the company, which may help convince some of them not to sue Delta. It's smart PR & risk mitigation.

If it's truly no strings, I'd definitely take it. If I was merely injured (or not at all), I'd also pursue a settlement of some sort ... but given nobody (remarkably) died, any settlements for this stuff will be dramatically lower than wrongful death suits.

[ua_guy]

It's too soon. The incident happened just days ago, and $30k isn't life-changing for me. Let the investigations play out, let the causes be known, let the injured spin up their lawsuits.

This is known as an early settlement in the auto insurance world. While the money is "no strings" it surely means you agree not to pursue Delta any further, and I'd question for myself if that was the right thing to do in this case.

[disneysteve]

I don’t know the details so I’d say no at this point. 30K is nothing.

[bjl584]

I'd wait it out, but a lot of people might jump on this, as $30K is a lot to some

[myrdale]

I'd like to say I'd refuse the payment, then write a thank you letter to the captain of the plane for guiding it to a safe landing (upside down or not) and then go on my way. That said, if Delta wanted to put $30k in my hand, who am I to refuse.

What I gathered was this was sort of a freak accident from weather conditions.

I'm assuming there was no negligence involved with plane maintenance.
I'm assuming it was an experienced crew.
I'm assuming the pilot was their due to his skill and experience, not other reasons.

If all those assumptions were true, why would I ever consider suing?

It is odd though the pilots name has yet to be released. Maybe one of my assumptions is wrong and there is a reason that plane crashed.

I'd just consider the scene from Eyes Wide Shut when he holds up the news paper and the headline reads "LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!'

[myrdale]

This is the on going problem on this site. Some wacko view is posted but no one is allowed to respond to it.

[Like2Plan]

I've read that it was no strings attached, too. This situation called for more than food and hotel vouchers. I can't even imagine the disorientation after the accident (and freezing on the runway after the evacuation)--lost items (like your id and your passport, iPhone for example), no overcoat, no cash or credit cards, not even a change of underwear! Your luggage, if it was not destroyed in the fire would have had a good chance of being drenched in jet fuel and/or flame retardant foam and may not be released right away anyway. One of the passengers mentioned that he was still drenched in jet fuel in one of the interviews. And if you are not from Toronto and didn't have someone picking you up (even if you had a car parked at the terminal--you might not have your keys anymore), then how do you get home?

Being stranded in a foreign country without any assistance could lead to a lot of hard feelings (and I would think would result in more than a little poor customer service feedback--it might make folks more likely to litigate).

[james.hendrickson]

This is the on going problem on this site. Some wacko view is posted but no one is allowed to respond to it.

Noted, thanks MyRDale.

Thanks also for helping get the convo back on topic.

[ua_guy]

Information about the Captain (pilot) and First Officer (also a pilot) were released. Both are highly credentialed and FAA certified. Those who were quick to jump to conclusions are likely to be disappointed.

[disneysteve]

This is the on going problem on this site. Some wacko view is posted but no one is allowed to respond to it.

You're right. When the wacko view was posted, I should have just deleted it and not responded. Sorry, I'm human too. It's all been cleaned up.

If anyone else wants to discuss whether or not passengers should accept the offer, please do. Personally, I wouldn't unless my attorney advised me to.

[disneysteve]

I've read that it was no strings attached, too. This situation called for more than food and hotel vouchers. I can't even imagine the disorientation after the accident (and freezing on the runway after the evacuation)--lost items (like your id and your passport, iPhone for example), no overcoat, no cash or credit cards, not even a change of underwear! Your luggage, if it was not destroyed in the fire would have had a good chance of being drenched in jet fuel and/or flame retardant foam and may not be released right away anyway. One of the passengers mentioned that he was still drenched in jet fuel in one of the interviews. And if you are not from Toronto and didn't have someone picking you up (even if you had a car parked at the terminal--you might not have your keys anymore), then how do you get home?

Being stranded in a foreign country without any assistance could lead to a lot of hard feelings (and I would think would result in more than a little poor customer service feedback--it might make folks more likely to litigate).

Exactly. Nobody left that plane without damages and injury, whether physical, emotional, or both. It's way too soon to accept a settlement.

[QuarterMillionMan]

With no strings attached, I would take the $30,000 in a heartbeat. And I would hire the best personal injury attorney to sue Delta for as much as possible.

[disneysteve]

With no strings attached, I would take the $30,000 in a heartbeat. And I would hire the best personal injury attorney to sue Delta for as much as possible.

If there are truly no strings, sure, I'd take it too. But not before having my attorney review the agreement thoroughly to be 100% sure it was string-free.