Wheelchair Ambulift Accident Results in Montreal Convention Lawsuit
Case Title: Sherian and Mughal v. Emirates
In February 2018, a wheelchair ambulift used in loading an Emirates flight from Islamabad, Pakistan to Dubai, UAE, with an eventual destination of Houston, Texas, toppled over with passengers aboard. Slack Davis Sanger represented two passengers injured in this accident. In both cases, the passengers were fully ambulatory but requested wheelchair service through the airport and onto the tarmac due to knee pain. Ambulatory passengers boarded the airplane by climbing portable airstairs from the tarmac. Passengers in wheelchairs or otherwise non-ambulatory were required to use an ambulifter. The ambulifter is a mobile scissor lift with an enclosed passenger platform at the top. As the passengers were seated in the wheelchair on the ambulift platform, it extended upward and then toppled over onto its side. The ambulift was seriously damaged and caused damage to the airplane as it fell. The windows of the platform were broken, and the passengers inside it were injured.
The passengers represented by Slack Davis Sanger both suffered multiple broken bones and head injuries. One of the passengers was hospitalized in the ICU in Islamabad for ten days before she could return home. Slack Davis Sanger pursued substantial settlements against Emirates airlines under the Montreal Convention.
Ladd Sanger is an attorney and a licensed pilot who focuses on aviation accidents, including product liability, product litigation, and representing clients who have been injured as a result of aviation accidents. His experience as a pilot helps him understand the technical aspects of aviation crashes.
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