Aviation/Personal Injury

Van Hoven v. Mesa Airlines, Inc. d/b/a U.S. Air Express (October 2000) was a jury trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, in which we represented the operator of a commuter aircraft, a Beech 1900D, which crashed while landing at Bradford Airport in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The plaintiff, one of 19 passengers on the aircraft, claimed to have suffered severe physical and psychological injuries, including four herniated discs, bilateral loss of hearing and post traumatic stress disorder. Plaintiff also claimed lost earnings in the sum of $2.3 million to $4.7 million. Plaintiff's settlement demand at trial was $3,000,000. Prior to trial we conceded liability and the issue of damages was tried before a jury. Following a two-week trial, the jury awarded plaintiff the sum of $80,000 for past and future pain and suffering and declined to award him any money for lost earnings.