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March 3, 2003 -  News Story

Settlement With Airline In Blood Clot Case Bolsters Potential Mass Tort

In December, American Airlines became the first airline to settle a lawsuit filed by a passenger who suffered deep vein thrombosis, popularly dubbed "economy class syndrome" because it often afflicts passengers who ride in cramped poorly-designed seats of commercial airlines.

Although there was little fanfare at the time, the settlement was closely watched by airlines around the world, which have been defending themselves with mixed results against suits by passengers who have developed blood clots in their legs during long-distance flights.

The plaintiff's lawyer in the American Airlines case, Mike Danko, told Lawyers Weekly USA that he believes there are tens of thousands of potential DVT cases throughout the world.

Danko estimated that thousands of people die or are seriously injured each year from blood clots resulting from long-distance air travel, yet many people - including lawyers - remain unaware of the extent of the problem.

"It's very serious and extremely widespread, yet for some reason it's been incredibly quiet," said Danko, whose law firm in San Mateo, Calif., is one of the few in the U.S. that has filed suit.

Paul Weinberg of Weinberg & Garber in Northhampton, Mass., said he is awaiting the results of an autopsy before deciding whether to file his first DVT case.

Weinberg, who has litigated several cases against airlines for failure to have defibrillators on planes, was first approached by his client, the widow of a man who died during an overseas flight, because she believed her husband died of a heart attack.

However, initial autopsy results showed that the man may have died of DVT.  Further tests are needed before the results are conclusive.

"There's not much doubt in my mind that long flights do increase the likelihood of developing a DVT," said Weinberg, citing a medical study concluding that persons who do not wear support hose during long flights are at a much greater risk of developing thrombosis.

Aviation specialist Mike Danko believes the combination of high altitude and cramped conditions on commercial airlines causes thousands of potentially fatal blood clots in long-distance passengers each year.

SOURCE: By Elaine McArdie,  Published in Lawyers Weekly USA, the National Newspaper for Small Law Firms. (Product Systems Limited)

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Recent studies have shown DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), or blood clots, can be reduced by wearing support stockings, please click Here to review further.

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