A Runaway (rather Runway) Lawsuit Against American Airlines Print
Thursday, September 09 2010

American Airlines is being sued by a Washington State woman who claims she was traumatized when an American plane ran off the runaway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
 
In a federal lawsuit, passenger Jewel Thomas claims she suffered severe mental and emotional problems after the New York bound plane skidded onto the grass next to the runway in an emergency landing at Chicago's O'Hare.  "That day changed my whole life – it changed my whole world," Thomas said, adding: "This is one problem I can't solve."
 
No physical injuries were reported among the passenger or crew and the damage reported to the plane was a blown tire.  Nonetheless, Thomas contends the incident upset her so much that she is on disability leave from her job at Microsoft, that she can no longer fly and sometimes even "freaks out" when she hears an airplane. 
 
Thomas claims the flight crew is at fault because it had notice of electrical and battery trouble and did not divert the flight sooner.  In the lawsuit, Thomas cites that the cabin public address system failed and eventually all power to the passenger cabin went out, including the lights, and passengers were praying and calling family members.  The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
 
—Source:  msnbc.com