At least two passengers on Delta Flight 4819, which caught fire and flipped over during a crash-landing in Toronto on Monday, are suing the airline and its subsidiary Endeavor Air after initially being offered $30,000.
The offer, some passengers say, is not nearly enough to compensate for the physical and mental toll the traumatic incident has taken.
In the first lawsuit, filed in Georgia federal court late Thursday, Marthinus Lourens claims he was “drenched with jet fuel” as the “burning plane” rolled over and then went belly up. He was left with injuries to his head, neck, back, knees and face as a result, as well as additional injuries when he released his seatbelt and fell to the ceiling of the upside-down aircraft, according to the complaint.
Lourens says he’s also been struggling with “severe emotional distress and mental anguish” in the days since the crash. He’s seeking more than $200,000 in damages.
Another suit from passenger Hannah Krebs was filed in Minneapolis federal court on Friday, accusing the flight crew of “gross negligence and recklessness” and “inadequate training and supervision” by Delta. She recalls how she was “violently thrown” around the plane’s cabin alongside the other passengers as the jet attempted to touch down at Toronto Pearson Airport.
As a result, Krebs says she suffered extreme physical and emotional injuries, leading to economic losses. She’s seeking an unknown amount in compensation.
“This was a preventable accident that never should have occurred,” attorney Jim Brauchle said in a statement to NBC News. “The passengers on Delta Flight 4819 had their lives forever changed having endured such a traumatic experience.”
The pair of lawsuits come after Delta offered $30,000 to each of the 76 passengers onboard the plane, telling them it “has no strings attached” and does not affect their right to take legal action.
A third passenger, Nate Richie, said he had also reached out to a lawyer to determine if the offer is fair. In an interview with TMZ on Friday, he said he hadn’t slept in days due to the emotional impact of the crash, and would likely never fly again.
“Is my mental health only worth $30,000?” he scoffed. “As a final compensation, I couldn’t see that being anywhere near [enough] for what we experienced.”
Lourens, Krebs and Richie were among 80 people — 76 passengers and four crewmembers — on Delta Flight 4819 when it took off from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport on Monday. Operated by Endeavor Air, the aircraft began to falter as it neared Toronto.
🔴 A newly released video shows the exact moment of the impact of Delta Connection flight 4819 at YYZ
by airmainengineer#deltaairlines #avgeek #accident pic.twitter.com/2BqnqPyxVn
— Airways Magazine (@airwaysmagazine) February 18, 2025
Videos shared online show the plane touching down and skidding across the snow-covered tarmac, then bursting into flames before it flips overs and come to a stop.
Everyone onboard survived the chaos, though 21 people were hospitalized after climbing out of the burning plane. They have since all been released after receiving treatment, airline officials said.
As of Saturday, the cause of the crash was still unclear. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the incident alongside a team of U.S. investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.
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