Rowdy woman pushed flight attendant who fell on another passenger. The airline has been sued

American Airlines has landed in a lawsuit after one of its crew members fell onto a sleeping passenger, resulting in severe injuries. In its defence, the airline has stressed that an uruly passenger pushed the attendant, so they cannot be held liable. The incident happened in 2021 on Flight 2123 from Washington National to New York JFK. 

Njeri Williams, the woman who brought the suit, was asleep in her seat even before the plane could take off. Meanwhile, a female passenger started talking loudly on her phone towards the back of the cabin. The plane was moving towards the runway and the crew told her to put the phone on airplane mode. 

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The passenger continued with loud Facetime

The passenger continued to have a noisy Facetime conversation and refused to stop the call. The plane had to return to the gate to remove her. However, the crew engaged in further discussions with the woman towards the front of the plane. The angry woman pushed a flight attendant who was walking down the aisle, who fell on Williams.

Injured passenger sued American Airlines for $500,000

The incident caused her several injuries, leading to hospitalisation and physical therapy, Williams claims in her lawsuit. She has accused American Airlines of failing to carry out its duties properly and is seeking $500,000 in damages. She says neither the ground staff nor those aboard the flight promptly took action against the unruly passenger.

American Airlines stressed that it was not at fault and that the unruly passenger was fully to blame for the accident. It is also seeking refuge in the  Montreal Convention, which governs liability in international air travel.

However, everything seems to have gone against American as the US District Court for the District of Columbia judge stated there was sufficient evidence for a jury to consider whether the airline went against its own procedures and delayed the removal of the noisy passenger. 

The judge also pointed out the fact that in the midst of a security crisis, why did the airline allow the movement of cabin traffic? Meanwhile, the judge added that since the airline could not prove that the injuries were solely caused by the unruly passenger, the Montreal Convention’s liability cap did not apply.