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TORONTO (CP) - Survivors of an Air France flight that skidded off a runway and burst into flames say they are entitled to further compensation from the airline because of the trauma they suffered, and deny that being part a class-action lawsuit is simply a cash grab.
"We are very thankful to have survived that, but we need to know why it happened, should it have happened, and what are they going to do compensate us," said Veronique Lacaille of Aurora, Ont., at an information meeting Wednesday on one of two multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits filed against the airline.
"We have nightmares, we don't sleep well, we have back pains."
Lacaille, 45, and her husband Phillippe were among the 309 passengers and crew when Flight 358 slid off the end of the runway at Pearson International Airport during a severe thunderstorm last week.
No one died in the crash, but 43 people suffered minor injuries.
Lacaille, who was among the dozens of passengers and relatives who attended the meeting to consider joining the $325-million lawsuit filed by law firm Will Barristers, said her whole family suffered physically and mentally from the incident.
"I hope nobody will go through that because we lost everything," said Lacaille, a mother of two.
"It's not only the material stuff, but it's now going to be scary to get back on a plane."
During the meeting, lawyers urged passengers to seek legal representation before coming to any kind of financial settlement with the airline.
But some who attended the meeting decided they have no desire to join a class action.
"I'm not looking for any further compensation," said Eddie Ho, 19, a South African student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., who said he wanted no part of an "ugly lawsuit."
"Air France did say to us they would compensate for our losses, but I haven't heard from them, so that's why I'm here."
Passenger Suzanne Deak has been named representative plaintiff for the class-action lawsuit against Air France, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Nav Canada.
The Air France crash has spurred at least one other class action, a $150-million suit that names a mother and her three-year-old daughter as the representative plaintiffs.
Another Toronto lawyer has also vowed to file a class action in the coming weeks.
Only one class action can proceed, and if the various lawyers involved can't agree, then the court will decide which one will go ahead.
Those named in the suits have yet to respond, and the claims have yet to be tested in court.
"We are very thankful to have survived that, but we need to know why it happened, should it have happened, and what are they going to do compensate us," said Veronique Lacaille of Aurora, Ont., at an information meeting Wednesday on one of two multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits filed against the airline.
"We have nightmares, we don't sleep well, we have back pains."
Lacaille, 45, and her husband Phillippe were among the 309 passengers and crew when Flight 358 slid off the end of the runway at Pearson International Airport during a severe thunderstorm last week.
No one died in the crash, but 43 people suffered minor injuries.
Lacaille, who was among the dozens of passengers and relatives who attended the meeting to consider joining the $325-million lawsuit filed by law firm Will Barristers, said her whole family suffered physically and mentally from the incident.
"I hope nobody will go through that because we lost everything," said Lacaille, a mother of two.
"It's not only the material stuff, but it's now going to be scary to get back on a plane."
During the meeting, lawyers urged passengers to seek legal representation before coming to any kind of financial settlement with the airline.
But some who attended the meeting decided they have no desire to join a class action.
"I'm not looking for any further compensation," said Eddie Ho, 19, a South African student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., who said he wanted no part of an "ugly lawsuit."
"Air France did say to us they would compensate for our losses, but I haven't heard from them, so that's why I'm here."
Passenger Suzanne Deak has been named representative plaintiff for the class-action lawsuit against Air France, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Nav Canada.
The Air France crash has spurred at least one other class action, a $150-million suit that names a mother and her three-year-old daughter as the representative plaintiffs.
Another Toronto lawyer has also vowed to file a class action in the coming weeks.
Only one class action can proceed, and if the various lawyers involved can't agree, then the court will decide which one will go ahead.
Those named in the suits have yet to respond, and the claims have yet to be tested in court.
Lawyers and Insurance people can make sense out of the scummiest things!
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