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| DVT victims' families take airlines to
court
Jeevan Vasagar Relatives of six air passengers who died of "economy class syndrome" yesterday launched a high court case blaming some of the world's leading airlines for their deaths. The families accuse the air industry of cramming seats together and failing to warn passengers to move around during flights to reduce the risk of blood clots. Carriers including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic face multi-million pound compensation claims. The relatives of six travellers who died were joined in their legal action by 50 passengers who suffered deep vein thrombosis after long-haul flights. Ruth Christoffersen, mother of Emma Christoffersen, 28, who died after flying back from Australia two years ago, said they wanted to make flying safer. "They said at the hospital, 'It might be DVT because we get a lot of this'. I couldn't believe it. How could they let passengers get on aeroplanes when people were dying?" The court hearing, which is expected to last three days, will focus on whether airlines are liable to pay compensation under the Warsaw Convention, an international aviation treaty. The treaty says airlines are liable for damages only if an accident happens while a passenger is on board. The airlines argue that DVT is not an accident, but a disease associated with inactivity, and say there is no "causal link" with flying. If the claimants argue successfully that the airlines are liable under the treaty, they will be able to proceed to a full hearing at which evidence from passengers and experts will be called. A connection between DVT and long-haul flights was first suggested in medical journals in the 1950s, but is described as "still uncertain" by the Department of Health. It says there is some evidence that long-haul flights may increase the risk but point out that DVT is a relatively common condition and more people than ever travel by air. Sufferers develop blood clots in the deep veins of their legs. The condition is potentially fatal if the clots travel to the lungs. The air travellers' counsel, Stuart Cakebread, told the high court yesterday that the airlines' failure to care for their passengers was responsible for the deaths. The issue explained Related articles Useful inks |
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