[Rhodes22-list] Flying Video

[Brad Haslett]

Robert,

Congress passed a law a few years ago to give the airplane builders some
relief.  Their liability is now limited after 17 years.  Of course as soon
as you install one new part, the clock starts ticking again.  One of the
unintended consequences is that some big maintenance facilities won't work
on airplanes older than 17 years.  It never ends.

A few years ago my youngest son was in a single car auto accident that blew
the airbag and knocked out the side glass.  He cut his head exiting the
car.  He called me himself on his cellphone but by the time I got there he
was strapped down on a gurney and was being loaded in an ambulance.  I went
to the hospital emergency room where he was now strapped to a bed.  They
were preparing to draw blood, do a cat scan, x-rays, etc., etc.  I made the
nurses leave the room and looked him over myself. He had some blood in his
hair and was scared from the whole experience. "Son, you've had worse
scrapes falling off your bicycle, let's get the hell out of here."  I
unstrapped him and we started to leave.  One of the nurses ordered him to
stay.  I confronted her, "is he a patient or a prisoner?"  She ran for one
of the doctors.  Doc says, "I don't recommend leaving."

"OK Doc, you've made your obligatory statement for liability purposes, if
this was your son would you put him through all this for a flesh wound?"

"Probably not."

The bill for that experience was over $6000.  Makes you wonder why health
care is so expensive.

Can anyone say TORT REFORM?

Brad

On 11/6/07, Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:
>
> Brad Haslett wrote:
> > ...  I'm still facing at least one
> > "show stopper" to get my bird through annual inspection.  She's worth
> more
> > in parts than whole - what a shame. I'm surprised the sailboat market
> hasn't
> > faced the same challenges.  I guess there's not enough money in anyone
> > company to make them a juicy target.
>
> There are three major factors that keep the lawyers
> away from sailboats:
>
> 1.  Everybody knows that sailing involves risk.
> It's a tradition.  Go to sea, maybe come back.
>
> 2.  Boats generally float if they are having some
> sort of problem.  Airplanes tend to fall out of the
> sky.
>
> 3.  People who sail small boats usually don't have
> big bux at stake.  Small airplanes are not cheap.
> (But you knew that!)
>
> Finally, if you sue a sailboat company, the good
> ones go bankrupt and sell the molds to someone who
> keeps on producing the good ones.  From a lawyer's
> point of view, slim pickings.
>
> Ultralights are the motorcycles of the air.  A jury
> figures you have to be crazy to get in/on one.  What
> lawyer can fight that?
>
> Lawyers graze where the green is grassier.
>
> /Robert
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