Students Sue Delta Air Lines After Flight Dumps Jet Fuel Over LA Schools
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Three local high school students are suing Delta Air Lines after a pilot dumped thousands of gallons of fuel over land last month before an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
The lawsuit alleges that the incident could have been avoided and that the pilot broke protocol.
It claims the pilot should have told air traffic control that the fuel needed to be dumped, so the flight could have been directed to a safer location.
The suit also accuses Delta of being negligent and having no regard for the health of the local population.
Officials said 67 children and adults were treated after exposure to jet fuel on Jan. 14.
Several of them reported a reaction, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but firefighters later confirmed all injuries were minor.
The students represented in the lawsuit attend Pioneer High School, which according to the suit, was part of the heavily populated area where the aircraft was flying before it released jet fuel.
Delta Air Lines has not yet commented on this litigation.