Model Loses Eye and Hand - Sues Plane Co.

gitana1

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Yeah, seems like she was the one that was negligent by walking into the prop . . . Pilot tried to keep her away.
 
It's unfortunate that you can't fix stupid but you can sue b/c everything is not stupid proof. Sorta O/T Last year a man removed all guards on a table saw, cut wood in a manner the owners manual stressed not to do, and lost his hand. He recently won a law suit against the company. Now laws are trying to be passed that all tablesaws will require a sawstop feature driving the price of them up big time. It just doesn't seem fair to me. /end rant.
 
I though I had read this story here before, but I guess not. Model Lauren Scruggs lost her eye and hand when she ran into a propeller after exiting a small plane at night.

I think she's lucky to be alive. But, now she's suing the plan company. Not sure how this accident is their fault, though:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ic-plane-propeller-accident-article-1.1051529

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/27/lauren-scruggs-model-plane-propeller_n_1382613.html

Having flown single engine many times as a passenger and a pilot, I have to say you always exit to the rear, I don't know why she would go around front. Even a highwing, 152 or 172, has a brace between the body and the wing that won't let you go to the front directly upon exit.
 
It was my impression from other news articles read that the FAA requires the propellers to be off and non-moving before passengers disembark to prevent these sort of issues. I also heard she had turned back to try and thank the pilot and ended up walking into it - I don't think they were disembarking in that direction.
 
In one of the articles I read, it stated the pilot tried to lean out and use his hand to redirect her so she wouldn't walk toward the propeller. So I think she exited from the rear and then tried to walk around the front.
 
I have flown many times with a private pilot & the prop has not stopped spinning by the time I jump out onto the tarmac . . . sometimes it's just dropping me off & he's taking off again. But I am conscience enough not to walk in front of the plane - where the prop is spinning.
 
The big variable is if it was a charter plane or a private plane with a friend flying it.
 
what a 180!!-- in january, the family said they didn't blame the pilot (see link)... he tried to warn her for goodness sake! sometimes one just needs to take personal responsibility...

i do think it's quite unfair though (and unnecessary) to call her "stupid". more appropriate: distracted? unfamiliar with procedures?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlin...ren-scruggs-before-propeller-accident-report/

She's suing the plane company and not the pilot - it's not a 180, at least not to me. If she was suing the pilot, that would be different for me. Plus, the suit is basically just trying to cover her medical expenses because the insurance company is trying to haggle over whether she was a "passenger" or not, and thus given a $200,000 cap.
 
I've seen the aftermath of someone caught in a propeller and she just needs to thank her lucky stars that's all she lost. I'm sorry, but a person has to take some kind of responsibility for themselves, and unless someone had a gun to her head, she did this herself. An accident, yes, but not the plane company's fault.
 
Our justice system is sooo screwed up. She'll sue and she'll win, when it was her fault.

Dewey, I hate that. The product liability suits. Damn near everything has warnings and instructions on how to use the product, but some idiot ignores them and injures themself using it and then turns about and sues the company.

The type that bugs me the most is people who misuse gasoline by trying to start fires with it, and when it explodes (b/c ya know, gas is flammable der) that moron turns around and sues, and usually wins a little something for themself b/c the jury feels bad b/c now their scarred for life...

People really need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. I know that won't ever happen though. Very sad.
 
source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...playing-amputated-limb.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

dailymail said:
There have been reports she received more than $1million in the settlement that was reached last week after rejecting the first offer of $200,000.

TMZ reported she received several millions.

and

daily mail said:
The NTSB did not find fault with the pilot for the accident but air safety investigator Denny Kelly said Mr Richmond was ultimately responsible because he 'should have shut the engine down'.

Um. He was going to take more people up. Why shut it all down just to start it back up again. She should never have walked right in front of the propeller!!

Disgusting.
 
Obviously this model is not familiar with the runway. Sorry bad pun but I just couldn't help myself.
 
I'm just reading the news reports now but it appears that she is indeed suing the pilot as well.

LINK to lawsuit
 
Scruggs' injuries are technically covered by two policies, both issued by Aggressive. One covers the plane while one covers pilot Curt Richmond. Both policies have a limit of $1 million per occurrence, and a sub-limit of $100,000 per passenger. Aggressive offered Scruggs $200,000, according to the lawsuit. This represents the passenger maximum under both policies.

...

Because Scruggs had no contact with the aircraft, the suit says she technically wasn't "getting out" of the plane. As such, she was not a passenger and is entitled to something closer to the $1 million limit on each policy.

Lots more in article at FindLaw
 
No contact with the aircraft? She was just in it looking at the lights! She had to get out of the plane to be hit by the propeller. wtf! Stop twisting fact to get yourself more $$$$$$
 
No contact with the aircraft? She was just in it looking at the lights! She had to get out of the plane to be hit by the propeller. wtf! Stop twisting fact to get yourself more $$$$$$

ITA. Looks like a dice roll to me, fast-track to a couple of mill. Eye roll!
 

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