Press Clipping - Family files suit after plane crash (Quantum Leap)

[PhreeZone 15]

Parents of woman killed in sky-diver plane crash file suit
By Heather Ratcliffe
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/5B9AD5A15296AA4C862571BE0077C5A8?OpenDocument
08/02/2006

The parents of a would-be skydiver who died along with five others in a plane crash Saturday filed a lawsuit today claiming negligence caused the aircraft’s engine to fail.
Vivian and Susan Delacroix of Kent, England, brought suit against the engine manufacturer, skydiving club and others claiming they are responsible for the death of their daughter, Victoria Delacroix, 22.

"Our initial investigation points to a right engine failure just after takeoff," said Gary C. Robb, a Kansas City attorney representing the family.

The maker of the PT6A turbo prop engine in the DeHavilland DHC-6 airplane that crashed after taking off from the Sullivan Regional Airport. The manufacturer was Pratt & Whitney, which is owned by United Technologies.

Annick Laberge, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney Canada division, declined comment today.

"It is our corporate policy not to discuss incidents under investigation," she said.

The suit also names the Quantum Leap Skydiving Center, which operated the skydiving club; the airport, which serviced and maintained the plane; Adventure Aviation, which owned the plane; and pilot Scott Cowan, who also perished in the crash.

Calls to Quantum Leap and the city of Sullivan, which owns the airport, were not returned.

The plane, which was loaded with seven skydivers, took a nosedive after losing an engine and struck a utility pole and tress before crashing to the ground. Several eyewitnesses told authorities the right engine burst into flames after the plane took off, Robb said.

None of the skydivers had a chance to save themselves because the plane was too low, Robb said.

"There were some of the most experienced skydivers in the world on that plane, and not even they could jump from that altitude," Robb said.

Vivian and Susan Delacroix declined comment through their attorney.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[matthewcline 0]

I understand grief and wanting to blame some one for the loss of a loved one, but this is a BS suit, unless true negligence is invovled.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[catfishhunter 1]

It was a Lawyer that contacted them and told them SOMEONE was to blame and they would find out who it was and make them PAY. Of course thats my opinion but usually when a family comes out swining with a lawyer at this stage it is usually the lawyer that got to them first. I am willing to bet several lawyers had the law suits already drawn up and the first one that got to them got them to sign. I bet several if not all famillies have been contacted already.

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[matthewcline 0]

Gotta love the lawyers who give the two good ones the bad rep.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[PhreeZone 15]

I wonder if the family has been informed about the waiver she signed and what it details.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[catfishhunter 1]

I am sure thats why the lawyer named everyone he could think of. The plan of attack in a case like this is NAME EVERYONE and see who will pay them off to make them go away. They know most of the people named will be dismissed before discovery but if they can get people to cough up less money then it will take to fight they don't care. The lawyer takes 33% or more of anything they can get so what the hell sue everyone...

Whats the difference between Catfish and Lawyers? One taste's good fried and the other should just be fried....no offense to the "2 good lawyers"

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Quote

It was a Lawyer that contacted them and told them SOMEONE was to blame and they would find out who it was and make them PAY. Of course thats my opinion but usually when a family comes out swining with a lawyer at this stage it is usually the lawyer that got to them first. I am willing to bet several lawyers had the law suits already drawn up and the first one that got to them got them to sign. I bet several if not all famillies have been contacted already.

I don't doubt that's possible... or even likely... but do you know for sure that a lawyer contacted the family and got them to file suit... or are you speculating?


Anyway, the problem I have with such lawsuits is the "Sue Everyone in Sight" formula.

Example from this case... "... brought suit against the engine manufacturer, skydiving club and others claiming they are responsible ..." I mean, how in God's Green Earth with how many hours there are on how many PT6 varriants could the manufacturer be in any way responsible even IF it is determined engine problems were involved!??!

This is the kind of thing I have problems with in such lawsuits. In my mind, its an obvious ploy to get MONEY from a party named in the case... one that may likely "blink" and settle out of court for a smaller fee then it would for them to fight it... thus bringing those who filed the case "money" (read pay the lawerys) to continue the case vs. the balance of those named responsible.



Its sad, but this doesn't surprise me that a case was filed. It probably won't be the only one. It will likely sink Quantum Leap. I'm currious to see what the NTSB Preliminary report comes out with... that should hit the streets tomorrow or in a few days or week or two... the final won't be out for 6 months to a year... maybe longer since there's a lawsuit involved now.

[divnswoop 0]

That's sad.... Have they even had a funeral for her yet?

[velvetjo 0]

This is pretty ironic after listening to so many Euros bitch about "sue-happy Americans" over the years I lived there. I guess the dark side of human nature (greed in this case) isn't limited to just us Yanks after all.

Sure hope the waivers were tight. If memory serves, a plane crash a few years ago in MO - which was clearly found by the NTSB to be pilot error - led to a major vacuum pump manufacturer leaving that business for liability concerns after they got tangled in a similar shotgun lawsuit.

Lance

[normiss 622]

Glad the gun manufacturers got government protection from such law suits....lawyers are ruining our fucking freedoms!

leeches I tell you!!!
ever see a class action law suit???? The only winners are???????

[Skymonkey13 0]

That is the exact same lawyer who won a 26 million judgement for the families of the 6 jumpers who died in the cessna crash in Independence back in 98.

He named everyone then also as a legal tactic and then weeds them out during discovery.

Then engine maker paid the whole settlement.

But they did get a few million from some of the others named also but none from the DZ.

[nicknitro71 0]

Priceless.

Memento Audere Semper

903

[teason 0]

In my opinion, this shows what a disgusting leach this Gary Robb is. Determining the cause of an accident takes more than a couple of days. To claim negligence with no more to go on than "there was a crash" demonstrates that to a disgusting slimy scum sucking lawyer type, truth doesn't matter as much as what you can get through legal pressure.

A tragedy does not mean you've won the lottery. But to a scumbag lawyer, human death and misery is a golden oppurtunity to make some cash. In my opinion, this lawyer preys on suffering. I wouldn't be surprised if he smiled, laughed and rubbed his hands together in anticipation when he heard of how many people died. Just my impression based on what has been presented.

It makes my skin crawl!

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

[tdog 0]

I hate lawyers like this... Naming the pilot who died, hoping to get money from his estate while his family has to survive without him. Scumbag...

This reminds me of a friend who worked for a portapotty company - who delivered a portapotty to a construction site, and was sued because the guys who pissed in his potty also put a crappy roof on a house. His insurance settled for $10,000 because it was cheaper than going to court to prove there was no link between the urine and roof... He said he would have paid double if he could have dumped a truck worth of crap on the home-owner's yard....

I for one would pay into a defense fund some cash for the skydiving families involved who now have to hire lawyers too... Of course I will cancel that offer if the DZO is found negligent of maintenance, so lets see what the investigation finds out and help our skydiving brothers.... OK USPA, whatcha going to do for your group members now????

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

Parents of woman killed in sky-diver plane crash file suit
By Heather Ratcliffe
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/5B9AD5A15296AA4C862571BE0077C5A8?OpenDocument
08/02/2006

The parents of a would-be skydiver who died along with five others in a plane crash Saturday filed a lawsuit today claiming negligence caused the aircraft’s engine to fail.
Vivian and Susan Delacroix of Kent, England, brought suit against the engine manufacturer, skydiving club and others claiming they are responsible for the death of their daughter, Victoria Delacroix, 22.
.........
Vivian and Susan Delacroix declined comment through their attorney.

This does not make any sense.
The US way of filing a lawsuit such as this means waiting for the statue of limitations to almost kick-in, about 2 years for most states.
That way most of the eye-witnessness are unavailable.

Vivian and Susan Delacroix you may be getting taken for a ride by your US attorney???
The FAA report won't come out for another 6 months or so. There is no reason to rush into a lawsuit now.

My condolences to your loss of your daughter.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[JohnMitchell 14]

My heart goes out to all the loved ones left behind by the deceased, including the young tandem passenger, Victoria. Her parents, in their grief, are trying to find someone to blame, and there's always a lawyer lurking in the shadows to prey on that emotion. I have friends who have had the bedside visits in the hospital, lawyers handing them business cards to sue their friends.

In our sport, we understand that horrible things can happen, and we work hard to learn from incidents and hopefully prevent future ones. The reaction from people outside of our sport can be quite different, though, in their impulse to punish the "guilty", even when no one really is.

Being the father of 4 children, though, I have an idea of the depth of their pain.

[billvon 2,392]

> The reaction from people outside of our sport can be quite different . . .

That's changing too. Skydivers sue other skydivers now, too. Kat Folger put Fliteline out of business with a lawsuit, and during a recent discussion here, several people said they would sue a DZO if he did something dangerous (even if they knew about it and jumped anyway.)

[JohnMitchell 14]

No shit?

Sucks.

I've saw a pilot sue a plane owner once, looking for deep pockets, and he lost, but that was in the '70's. I don't think juries are quite as clear headed today.

[DSE 3]

In this case, I'd wager that the attorney has gotten these parents to sign on first, getting himself in the mix as attorney of record, and I'll equally wager he's contacting others to try to turn this into a class action with him already in place as lead attorney, hence the haste in which he filed.
It's apparent this guy is an ambulance chaser that caught the family in their weakest moment.

[tbrown 26]

Example from this case... "... brought suit against the engine manufacturer, skydiving club and others claiming they are responsible ..."

[normiss 622]

that sux BV...here I though we all "adult" enough in this sport to assume personal responsibilty for our actions....
the inherit danger overrides the fault that seems to be required in our current litigous society.

[Mr17Hz 1]

Does somebody want to take the time to dig up the home address of the parents involved in this suit? I think we should all send them a letter letting them know how mature they're acting.

Matt Christenson

[email protected]
http://www.RealDropzone.com - A new breed of dropzone manifest software.

[damion75 0]

Quote

This is pretty ironic after listening to so many Euros bitch about "sue-happy Americans" over the years I lived there. I guess the dark side of human nature (greed in this case) isn't limited to just us Yanks after all.

It is really embarrassing seeing the 'compensation culture' taking hold here in the UK...

I feel for their loss, but money won't make her come back. If there was any negligence the investigation will find it and the authorities will punish it. Some BS litigation suit is not the answer.

***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

[Sockpuppet 0]

Quote

Quote

This is pretty ironic after listening to so many Euros bitch about "sue-happy Americans" over the years I lived there. I guess the dark side of human nature (greed in this case) isn't limited to just us Yanks after all.

It is really embarrassing seeing the 'compensation culture' taking hold here in the UK...

I feel for their loss, but money won't make her come back. If there was any negligence the investigation will find it and the authorities will punish it. Some BS litigation suit is not the answer.

Agreed. They are from Kent with a posh surname so that at least explains some of it.

------
Two of the three voices in my head agree with you. It might actually be unanimous but voice three only speaks Welsh.

[BIGUN 1,051]

Quote

Does somebody want to take the time to dig up the home address of the parents involved in this suit? I think we should all send them a letter letting them know how mature they're acting.

IMO, this is a very poor tactic. A much better plan would be to send them our condolences, flowers and cards during this time of grief.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.