Page 15 - AAA 1 AUGUST,2015

Australian

SUES ETIHAD

over obese passenger

AN Australian plane passenger, who claims he Court claim states the “grossly overweight” passenger gave him a back injury and exacerbated an existing
suffered back pain after being seated next to an was spilling into his seat, was coughing frequently and back condition.
overweight man, is suing Etihad Airways. had fluid coming from his mouth. After five hours he
asked to be moved but airline staff allegedly refused. Etihad tried to have the claim thrown out and argued
A man is suing an airline, claiming he got a back Half an hour later Mr. Bassos complained again and it was not unusual to have overweight passengers
injury after being forced to sit next to an obese man he was moved to a crew seat. However, he had to taking up too much space, or coughing passengers.
who coughed a lot. James Andres Bassos has taken return to his seat next to the fat man later for another However Brisbane District Court Judge Fleur
Etihad Airways to court in Queensland saying he was hour, and again for the final 90 minutes of the flight Kingham refused to strike out the claim yesterday.
forced to twist and contort his body for long periods for security reasons, according to court documents. In published reasons, Judge Kingham said she wasn’t
on a 2011 flight from Sydney to Dubai. Mr. Bassos is claiming damages for personal injuries, convinced Mr. Bassos had no chance of winning. She
He said the journey resulted in a back injury and is saying that being forced to twist his body for such a ordered him to undergo a medical exam in Brisbane
claiming $227,000 in damages. Mr. Bassos’ District long time to avoid contact with the other passenger in December.

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: A document released Friday were fully aware of the risk of a major
showed the committee voted tsunami at the Fukushima plant.
Three Executives in favor of indicting Tsunehisa It said they should be charged with
Face Criminal Katsumata, who was chairman of professional negligence resulting in
Tokyo Electric Power Co. at the death and injury during the accident
CHARGES time of the crisis, along with two and its aftermath, including the deaths
other former executives. of dozens of senior citizens in a hospital
A JAPANESE judicial committee charges and stand trial for their alleged The 11-member committee’s who died during and after the lengthy
has decided that three former utility negligence in the Fukushima nuclear second decision supporting the evacuation.
executives should face criminal disaster. indictment overrides Tokyo The Tokyo District Court will now
prosecutors’ two earlier decisions choose a team of lawyers to act as
to drop the case, forcing the prosecutors to formally press charges
three men to be charged with in court.
professional negligence. Three reactors had meltdowns at the
It will be the first criminal case Fukushima Dai-ichi plant damaged
from the nuclear disaster to be in the March 2011 earthquake and
tried in court. The committee tsunami, triggering massive radiation
said the three men neglected to take leaks that forced tens of thousands of
sufficient measures even though they people to evacuate.

ARUBA TRAVELLER - Saturday, August 01 2015 13INTERNATIONAL