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Personal injury and wrongful death claims stemming from international plane crashes, like Asiana Airlines Flight 214, are governed by an international treaty known as the Montreal Convention. That treaty was signed in 1999 but the United States did not ratify it until 2003. It replaced a previous treaty known as the Warsaw Convention and was designed to be more pro-passenger than its predecessor. For instance, one of the main changes was the elimination of the…

Despite all of the chaos, fire and tragedy, officials are now reporting that all 307 people aboard Asiana Flight 214 that was scheduled to land this morning at the San Francisco airport from Seoul, Korea, are accounted for. San Francisco International Airport Fire Chief has confirmed, though, that two people tragically died when the Boeing 777 crash landed on one of the four runways. In addition, dozens were taken to area hospitals, some being admitted….

The Boeing 777 aircraft crashed on the runway and led a trail of debris that investigators will find useful in their determining the cause of the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 on a clear Saturday in San Francisco. The first flight of this particular aircraft was Feb. 25, 2006. A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will begin unearthing what caused the deadly crash after its expected arrival at midnight…

Passengers who survived the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco’s airport are telling the media and the world through social media of the harrowing experience. Some passengers are recalling how everyone’s head hit the ceiling of the plane during the turbulent crash landing. Those on the plane also are saying that many evacuated themselves, which could have been the reason for their survival because of the fire that soon engulfed the aircraft….

A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be looking at the black boxes aboard the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 that crash landed at San Francisco’s airport Saturday. Media outlets, such as CNN, are attempting to recreate what occurred and it appears that the tail of the Boeing 777 aircraft impacted the rock seawall at the edge of the runway. In not clearing that seawall, the plane left a large debris…

Victims of a Boeing 777 plane crash at San Francisco’s airport are reportedly being taken to area hospitals. The Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul, Korea, crash landed on runway 28L after being in flight more than 10 hours. Pictures and video from the scene show smoke billowing from the plane and the tail separated from the fuselage. Gaping holes also are apparent in the roof of the aircraft that has been blackened by fire. The…

Clifford’s Notes, Chicago Lawyer July 1, 2013 By Robert A. Clifford I recently wrote a column about how proud I am to be a lawyer and even prouder that my daughter, Erin, completed law school and passed the bar exam. She now clerks for an appellate court justice in Chicago. I received many calls and letters including an e-mail from a downstate lawyer who read the column after practicing law for 25 years. He called…

One in 12 bridges in Illinois is “structurally deficient,” according to a report released by Transportation for America (TFA), a non-profit coalition out of Washington, D.C. Could these numbers indicate a bridge collapse story in our future? It’s hard to say. The bridge collapse last month on Interstate 5 in the Seattle area was not considered structurally deficient, whereas the bridge in the 2007 Minnesota collapse did carry the label. What we do know is…

The state’s largest medical malpractice insurance carrier reportedly reached a record $57 million in profits last year, according to an article in Crain’s Chicago Business written by reporter Andrew L. Wang. This comes after ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company predicted the opposite following the Illinois Supreme Court overturning an unfair $500,000 cap on non-economic damages in med mal cases. ISMIE insures more than half of Illinois’ physicians. The net income it filed with the state is…