Less than a month after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 as it was landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington DC, the family of one of the plane crash victims has filed a lawsuit.
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In a statement, Chicago’s Clifford Law announced it filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Army on behalf of the family of Casey Crafton of Connecticut.
Crafton was one of the 67 people onboard American Eagle Flight 5342. As it was descending, the plane was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter. Both aircrafts then crashed into the Potomac River. There were no survivors.
Robert A. Clifford, the founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, spoke out about his firm’s representation of the Clifford family.
“Casey was an incredible human being,” Clifford said. He also referred to Casey as a giver as well as a loving father and husband.“He enjoyed coaching his boys on their youth soccer and little league baseball teams. They will be grieving him for the rest of their lives that will never be the same.”
“This crash involves complex matters,” Clifford further stated. “And the family deserves answers as to what happened to their loved one.”
Crafton was returning from Wichita, Kansas, on a business trip. He was working as a technical support manager at Guardian Jet, an aviation consulting firm.
Clifford Law Pointed Out Multiple Issues Centered Around the DC Plane Crash
Clifford Law further pointed out that multiple issues led to the DC plane crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported that staffing in the tower of air traffic controllers (ATC) was “not normal” at the time of the nighttime collision. There were communication lapses between the ATC and the aircraft.
The law firm also stated that it is being reported that the Trump Administration began notifying hundreds of probationary FAA workers late Friday that they are fired and are barred from entering their offices.
“The government now has six months to act upon the claims,” Clifford Law stated. “And if rejected or not acted upon within that time, plaintiffs have the right in the next two years to file lawsuits in federal district court that would be heard by a judge.”