In time for the one-year-death anniversary of the Germanwings' crash victims, the bereaved families are pushing through to file a lawsuit against the airline's parent company, the Lufthansa in the U.S.
The Germanwings crashed last March 24, 2015 that claimed the lives of 150 people. The sadness of the families has turned into anger as they cry for justice over the death of their family members. The families asserted that the Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz should not be permitted to fly the plane that struck into the French Alps due to his depression. They cried that the death anniversary of the Germanwings' crash victims made it more difficult for them to deal with the tragedy, International Business Times reported.
"We are still infinitely sad about the death of our daughter," Annette Bless, whose 15-year-old child Elena died in the crash, told AFP. "The days before the sad anniversary of this terrible tragedy are particularly difficult for all the victims' families."
According to Aviation lawyer Elmar Giemulla, who is representing more than 70 families, the families of the Germanwings' crash victims want compensation. They think that Lufthansa is not even working on a probable solution on the case. Lufthansa initially paid 50,000 euros ($56,000) per victim, offered 10,000 euros to each immediate relative including parents, children and spouses and 25,000 euros more to each family, Yahoo reports. However, most of the families declined to accept the offer and labeled it "paltry" and "insulting."
"We are preparing a lawsuit in the United States and see good chances for a place of jurisdiction there," the newspaper Bild am Sonntag quoted Giemulla as saying. Giemulla also said that the damage claims have not been set yet, but plaintiffs will follow the American law. The lawyer added that the U.S. law provides larger payouts for emotional damages than the German law.
In the previous report by Reuters in August last year, Germanwings claimed that payout would be at least 100,000 euros per passenger. The airline also said that the amount may vary depending on the cases of the families. It could reach to amount of six digits and as high as million euros.
Families of the Germanwings' crash victims are pursuing to file the lawsuit in the U.S., where claims could be worth millions. The airline is now seeking a speedy and fair settlement of all justified damage claims, according to Giemulla. Tha latest reports claimed that the pilot Lubitz had suffered severe anxiety and depression that doctors advised him for psychiatric treatment days before the Germanwings' crashed.
© 2023 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Get the Most Popular Lawyerherald Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
Join the Discussion
Related Articles
