Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing on March 8th shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia’s Capital – for Beijing. Since its eerie disappearance off the radar, Flight 370 had become a global mystery. After search efforts failed to find any sign of the plane, people throughout the world began speculating what could have happened. Media and news stations have focused heavily on the plane’s disappearance, entertaining numerous possibilities and conspiracy theories. Some news networks even featured psychics in their panel discussions on the story.
After two weeks of searching, however, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced on Monday, March 24 th that the Boeing 777 had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, leaving no survivors. Still, very little is known about how the plane crashed, why it disappeared off radar, and why it was so far off course. Investigations into the disappearance will continue, as will search efforts into the choppy sea where the plane’s remnants are believed to be located.
Compensation for Families
In response to the widespread attention focused on Flight 370, Malaysia Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would be offering initial financial assistance to the families of passengers of $5,000 per passenger. The payments are meant to help ease the immediate burden and stress caused by the long search. The airline also announced that additional compensation for families would soon come.
Experts are speculating that Malaysia Airlines could pay next of kin compensation into the millions of dollars per passenger. A treaty known as the Montreal Convention will also require the airline to pay relatives initial compensation of $150,000 – $175,000 per passenger. Unless Malaysia Airlines is able to prove that it took reasonable measures to prevent a crash, it may face additional lawsuits from families seeking further damages. Compensation will depend on what facts are turned up, as well as where these claims are filed. The airline’s expenses will be covered by large insurance policies which amount to roughly $2 billion per aircraft and approximately $10 million per passenger.
Although fair compensation appears to be in works, the families of Flight 370 passengers have already suffered tremendous stress and untold losses. At George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers, we extend our condolences to these families, and hope that they receive a just and swift outcome –the only outcome we believe injured victims and families deserve in the wake of tragedy.