Each of the survivors of the Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco International Airport will be given $10,000, the airline said.
According to Bloomberg News, the compensation will cover the passengers' medical and transportation expenses following the crash landing of Flight 214 last month in which three middle school students were killed. More than 180 others were injured in the accident. Most of them suffered from minor injuries. There were more than 300 passengers and crew members on the South Korean airline's flight.
According to Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyo Min, the survivors "need money to go to the hospital or for transportation so we are giving them the $10,000 first," Bloomberg News reports. "Even if they are not hurt or they don't go to hospital, we will still give them this money."
Passengers that are planning to sue if airline will still be able to do so even if they collect the money being offered. More money may be given depending on the results of the investigation being led by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The company just wants a receipt that the passengers are accepting the payment. There will be no agreement attached to taking the money.
A group of 83 passengers have already launched a lawsuit against Boeing, which manufactured the plane that crashed. The airline hasn't been sued yet but this lawsuit could expand to include the airline later.
According to an early review by NTSB investigators, the Asiana Airlines flight came in too low and too slow when it tried to land. It clipped its landing gear and then its tail on a seawall just short of the runway. Three students who were traveling to the U.S. for a summer school program were killed. The exact cause of the crash isn't known at this time. The full NTSB investigation is expected to take more than a year to finish.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
