‘Plane was essentially a time bomb’: Attorney for passengers of Alaska Airlines aircraft reveals as he discusses their trauma on ‘Fox & Friends’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Mark Lindquist, attorney for the 21 Alaska Airlines passengers aboard the Boeing Max 9 aircraft that lost a door plug mid-air back in January, appeared on the February 7 episode of 'Fox & Friends.'
He went to discuss the preliminary incident report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which was released the previous day. The report revealed that key bolts needed to hold the door plug in place were missing when Boeing delivered the plane.
How dangerous it was for everyone aboard
"A plane was delivered by Boeing to Alaska Airlines without four critical bolts, which means the plane was essentially a time bomb. This door plug could have blown off at any time," Lindquist told co-host Steve Doocy.
On January 5, the fateful incident took place while the flight was climbing to a cruising altitude at 16,000 feet after departing Portland, Oregon. However, the plane made a safe return after the cabin got depressurized, and no serious injuries were reported.
The pilots were allegedly unaware of the build of the plane, as Lindquist commented, "This is like the Max 8 disaster in that sense, meaning that there was critical information about the plane that pilots did not know. And pilots need to know everything about the plane they're flying."
Trauma endured by passengers
Lindquist's clients, ranging from adults to infants, are seeking compensation for physical, emotional, and financial trauma.
"You're seeing some common issues like sleeplessness, nightmares, flashbacks. Some of them have physical injuries, hearing damage," shared the attorney.
"They've all been impacted pretty severely, to one extent or another. This was a near-death experience for people on the plane."
One of the passengers had to relive the trauma at a birthday party, he claimed, stating, "She hears a balloon pop and she breaks down and just starts sobbing. Trauma like this affects the mind and body in strange ways."
"People on the plane thought they might be sending their last text. They didn't know. They just hear this woosh! There's a hole in the side of the plane. And in the movies, the plane goes down under those circumstances," he added.
