Passenger injured by falling suitcase sues United, saying cabin crew should've helped put luggage in overhead bin
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- A United Airlines passenger says she was injured when a suitcase fell on her.
- The lawsuit says the flight crew should have intervened or assisted so that it was stowed properly.
- Eugenia Lyashenko has suffered from stress and depression since the incident, it adds.
A passenger is suing United Airlines, saying flight attendants should have helped put heavy luggage in the overhead bin.
Eugenia Lyashenko was flying from Boston to London in June 2023, per the lawsuit filed last Friday in the Massachusetts US District Court.
She was sitting in an aisle seat when another passenger's "heavy roller suitcase" fell from the open overhead bin, the suit says.
The lawsuit alleged that Lyashenko suffered serious head, neck, and back injuries after being struck by the suitcase.
"United should not have allowed other passengers to struggle with stowing heavy roller suitcases in the overhead bins without intervening to ensure that it was done properly and safely," it stated.
It added that the crew's failure to assist in storing the luggage contributed to Lyashenko's injuries.
As a result of the incident, she has since been unable to sit or stand for extended periods, and "suffered great pain, agony and mental anguish, stress, depression," the complaint says.
United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lyashenko's attorneys sought unspecified compensatory damages under the Montreal Convention.
The treaty stipulated that airlines are liable for any passenger injuries on board an aircraft, or while boarding or deplaning, unless they can prove the passenger was negligent.
It says damages can be as high as about $175,000.
The Montreal Convention is often cited in airline lawsuits, such as when a Ryanair passenger broke her leg after falling down the aircraft's steps. She was awarded $33,000 in compensation.
And last year, a Delta Air Lines passenger said he broke a rib after his armrest collapsed when he leaned on it.