Divosh writes
I'll go out on a limb and say that ALL these pax and crew are Grateful to be alive. But that has NOTHING to do with any PTSD that may arise from this event.
Any PTSD which may arise from this event has NOTHING to do with USAir's conduct, policies, or actions.
Except perhaps the fact there was an extremely experienced, skilled flight crew which made the best choice possible, landing with enough of the aircraft left so that cabin crew could conduct a safe evacuation.
Suing USAir for this incident makes about as much sense as suing Canada because Canadian Geese were involved in the birdstrike.
If they're grateful to be alive, then they shouldn't consider suing the operation which saved their butts in a situation which could have presented itself to any aircraft departing that day.
... and ...
To one individual, PTSD can be debilitating to the point where they can't leave their own home. Another individual who experienced the same event may have no effects at all.
Regardless of the impact of the stress on any individual, at some point personal ethics should play a role.
USAir didn't do anything to encourage the geese to fly into the path of the aircraft. In fact, the pilot flying took extremely good care of the people in the seats behind him, and made sound decisions - which is the primary reason there are survivors who are alive and well enough to consider suing.
That alone should be enough to see any lawsuits quickly dismissed, and I personally hope the attorneys responsible for filing run into a judge who has the nads to slap a contempt charge on them for filing an utterly frivolous case.
Simply being somewhere when something bad happens doesn't give one the moral right to sue whomever was the last to "handle" them.
This smells like something instigated by the sort of law firms who advertise on late-night television.