Andreini Family Suing Air Force for $10 Million

[Jay Honeck]

For a change, I think this lawsuit is justified. The fire/rescue responders to this crash took an abnormally long time to react.

Watching the video of this crash is agonizing. The fire trucks took five full minutes to respond.

http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield/20-million-sought-in-travis-air-show-death/

 

[Jim Logajan]

The pilot engaged in an extremely risky activity by choice. I'm saddened by his death but he alone is responsible.

Even where someone is solely responsible for an accident, that has no affect or bearing on the responsibilities accepted by paid emergency responders. This is not a case where good Samaritan laws are applicable, since the people being sued are being sued not because they were innocent bystanders who acted incorrectly, or because they had anything to do with the cause of the accident, but because they accepted certain obligations of their own.

I believe in many jurisdictions (public) paid emergency responders have a legal duty to act. An unreasonable and unexcused delay in responding might be considered a failure in that duty if the delay can be shown to have made a difference in the outcome.

The case is filed - complaining about it is pointless. It is now just a question of whether the plaintiff can prove to the court that the emergency responders failed to meet a reasonable "standard of care" in this instance.