Eight passengers have filed the first group lawsuit against Southwest Airlines over the engine explosion on Flight 1380.
They are alleging mental and physical trauma due to the fatal accident which led to the death of one passenger.
The suit was filed in New York Supreme Court claiming passengers are suffering vertigo, dizziness and extreme emotional distress in the aftermath of the accident.
This has resulted in anxiety, nightmares, and a fear of flying, says attorney Jonathan Johnson.
"They feel like they’ve had a horrific experience that will stay with them for life. Another reason we’re doing this is to make sure that this doesn’t happen to any other passengers on airline flights," he said.
The filing alleges Southwest Airlines ‘negligently failed in its duty to provide the highest degree of care for its passengers’.
Boeing and the plane’s engine makers are also included as defendants in the suit.
Investigators have found that a fan blade off from one of the engines and debris broke one of the windows.
A passenger was then partially sucked out of the broken window and suffered traumatic injuries which proved fatal.
It is the second lawsuit after Flight 1380 passenger Lilia Chavez also sued Southwest Airlines for negligence citing ‘willful, wanton and outrageous conduct.’
