Man sues El Al for injuries from reclining seat.
A man is suing Israel’s national airline, El Al, after he got stuck in a business class seat during a flight from Tel Aviv to New York’s JFK.
Eshagh Wiseman, who is a “gentleman of advanced age,” according to the lawsuit, was traveling onboard a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on October 23, 2022.
He claims that the flight crew failed to instruct him on how to properly use his seat, leading to his “lower extremity” becoming trapped when the seat was in a reclined position.
According to the lawsuit, Wiseman called a flight attendant for help, who “forcibly” pulled him out. The result was “permanent” injury including “great pain, agony and mental anguish.”
The business class seats on El Al’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners convert into fully flat beds but Wiseman alleges that the cabin crew failed to properly show him or the other passengers how to actually recline the seat.
“Lawyers acting on behalf of Wiseman are bringing the lawsuit under the Montreal Convention, which holds airlines responsible for passenger injuries unless they can prove the injury was the result of the passenger’s own negligence,” reads the lawsuit.
The Montreal Convention is often used by passengers seeking compensation after they have been scalded by hot beverages onboard a flight, although a European court recently ruled that the international treaty can also be used by passengers who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following an accident.
In 2021, a man won £130,000 in a lawsuit against British Airways after he slipped in a puddle of Baileys Irish Cream liqueur close to one of the airline’s check-in desks at Heathrow Airport.
The accident left Andreas Wuchner with permanent brain damage after he fell and hit his head on the floor. Wuchner said the accident ultimately led to his small stationary business going bust.
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