Law firms Ramos Law and DJC Law have filed a notice that they intend to sue on behalf of passengers aboard the LA-bound plane that struck and killed a man on the Denver International Airport runway Friday, according to a joint release from the firms.
The man, now identified at 41-year-old Michael Mott of Pueblo, had scaled a perimeter fence in 15 seconds and was hit by the plane just two minutes later, according to airport officials. Twelve people were injured, with five of those people hospitalized.
The firms call the incident "one of the most preventable aviation incidents in recent history" and claim the passengers are now "confronting both physical and psychological injuries."
They say they're seeking more than $10 million in damages.
"We intend to find out exactly what failed, who knew about the vulnerabilities beforehand, why they were not fixed, and who knew about the breach and failed to order an immediate ground hold of all aircraft," Joseph LoRusso, an aviation attorney with Ramos Law, said in a statement.
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The release says they are also demanding all evidence related to the incident be preserved, including surveillance video, sensor data, access-control logs, radio and dispatch communications, internal incident reports, training records, and policies and procedures.
"Our clients deserve a full and transparent accounting of what the airport knew, when it knew it, and what was, or was not, done about it," attorney Andres Pereira with DJC law said in a statement.
According to the firms, a notice was served Tuesday to the Denver City Attorney and the Colorado Attorney General, with courtesy copies to the Chief Executive Officer of Denver International Airport, the Denver Clerk and Recorder, and the Chief of the Denver Police Department.
Denver7 reached out to the City of Denver, which operates DIA, but had not heard back by the time of publication. The firms said none of the passengers who are part of the claim will currently be available for interviews.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
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