Let The Lawsuits Begin..

[Lost Cause]

Do you think there's slimey lawyer(s) out there just rubbing their hands together, ready to petition the grieving families to sue NASA? If they think like they do with Starbuck's and such, there's a window of opportunity to line their pockets from the corpses. Is there a hold harmless agreement between the astronauts and NASA?

Well, what do you think?

 

[Lancecastor]

If A Piece of Columbia Fell Through My Roof...

....or if my child found a piece of a leg in my backyard, I'd want my lawyer to see these two statements in assessing a possible lawsuit for damages in negligence against NASA:

"Somewhere along the line we missed something," Dittemore said. "But I guarantee we are going to fix it."

Seymour Himmel, a former NASA rocket engineer and former member of the agency's safety advisory panel, said: "The chief thing we were concerned about on the panel was the aging of the beast. . . . Things do wear out, and sometimes they are very subtle and you can't tell." He cited budget constraints that might have limited needed upgrades.

(see:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12892-2003Feb1.html)

Some home insurance policies will pay for the hole in your roof from space & aircraft debris...but the question of consequential damages such as psychological damages to an American child who loved all things NASA as a result of finding a leg in his backyard is less clear.

Example:

What is a "defined events" policy?
Most defined event policies are fairly standard. They will generally cover damage from:

fire or explosion
lightning, thunderbolts and meteorites
theft and burglary
earthquake
deliberate and/or malicious damage
bursting, leaking, discharging, and overflowing of fixed apparatus, tanks, or pipes used to hold liquids
riot
impact damage (by space debris, aircraft, vehicles, falling trees and wild animals)
storm, tempest and rainwater
accidental breakage of some household items.

What the policy doesn't cover

A defined events policy will not automatically cover all damage or loss from these causes. The cover can be restricted in two ways:

how the defined events are described in the policy

specific circumstances listed in the policy where the insurer will not pay, even if the damage is caused by a defined event.

Therefore, yes, I'd expect there will be lawsuits over the Columbia's disintegration and its damage to peoples' property and associated consequential damages.

Lance

 

[Lost Cause]

I was thinking more of..

The families of the crew suing for negligence by NASA.
You do have a point though, if your insurance covers you against those pieces of debris, by all means, exercise your policy!

 

[Lancecastor]

Re: I was thinking more of..

The families of the crew suing for negligence by NASA.

Some family members of the 4 Canadians killed by US F-16 fire in Afghanistan are suing the US Government right now in wrongful death actions, so it wouldn't be the first time.

The notion is not that far removed in principle from that of the soldiers seeking compensation for Gulf War syndrome.

Lance

 

[TheCheshireCat]

One article I read mentioned the age of Columbia...why are we still flying spacecraft from the '70's? For god's sake put it in a museum. Expense is an issue but honestly we COULD put our wanderlust aside for a year or two and get something top of the line put together. Stop spending money on war and fix our spacecraft!

 

[Lost Cause]

As in most aviation lawsuits..

The plaintiffs usually go after every manufacturer involved in it's construction, and operation. (Boeing/Airbus/GE/Honeywell) The demeanor of the Columbia families so far doesn't convince me that they would tarnish the memory of the seven, by suing NASA.



http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/stupid_lawsuit_collection.asp?wacky=0

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: I was thinking more of..

The families of the crew suing for negligence by NASA.

This is more what I thought your question was. Will the families of the astronauts sue NASA? I don't know, but I'd doubt it. The astronauts were doing their jobs, jobs which they knew were full of danger (even if the general public has forgotten the danger potential.)

Do we know if anyone from the Challenger disaster sued? Or did those families go quietly into the night, proud of their loved ones for having given their lives in service to their country?

On a side note, what kind of life insurance can astronauts get, I wonder? Seems like they would be a tough group to cover.

 

[Lancecastor]

One article I read mentioned the age of Columbia...why are we still flying spacecraft from the '70's? For god's sake put it in a museum. Expense is an issue but honestly we COULD put our wanderlust aside for a year or two and get something top of the line put together. Stop spending money on war and fix our spacecraft!

Good point. I think we can come up with a space craft made of something more robust than bathroom tiles....maybe even something that can download JPEG's from space.

Those poor bastards filmed the wings on takeoff but NASA was waiting for their return to be able view it.

Meanwhile, the US Airforce can drop a bomb down your shitter from 25,000 feet...and show it live on CNN.

 

[TheCheshireCat]

Good point. I think we can come up with a space craft made of something more robust than bathroom tiles....maybe even something that can download JPEG's from space.

Yeah, give them on opportunity to rock out as they plummet to their deaths...

 

[weed]

I was thinking along Cheyenne's lines. The risks of being an astronaut are...ahem...astronomical. I would hope benefits would include some provision for the families to be compensated in the event of such a great loss.

 

[Lancecastor]

Re: Re: I was thinking more of..

The astronauts were doing their jobs, jobs which they knew were full of danger

Gross negligence is considered by most courts to be outside the scope of any release, expectations, duties or jingoistic hero/martyr-speak.

If NASA knew or ought to have known they had a problem and didn't abort...or park the Columbia at the ISS instead of trying re-entry, there's possibly a cause of action.

Belittling the patriotism of the families for bringing NASA's incompetance to light ....if that's what transpires....would be the cruelest indignity you could ever offer them, Cheyenne.

Lance

 

[peachykeen]

I have had the good fortune to have met a few astronauts in my time. The are extraordinary individuals, and the families of these men and women as well as the NASA community as a whole are very tight. They all know that great achievement involves great risk, and on occasion demands great sacrifice. Unless it can be proven that was some some sort of severe willful negligence on NASA's part, I don't think lawsuits are very likely at all. In my (admittedly limited) experience, the folks involved in the space program are the antithesis of American finger-pointing 'blame culture' types, but are extremely aware, and take very seriously, the notion of individual, personal responsibility and accountability as the core of a successful team.