UPDATE: Flight Attendant Injured in Delta Toronto Crash Sues Airline for $75M

A new lawsuit has been filed against Delta Air Lines after its crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this year – this one from one of their own flight attendants.

According to CTV News, Delta Air Lines Flight Attendant Vanessa Miles was “deadheading” – an industry term for flight crew who are passengers en route to a work assignment – and is seeking US $75 million in damages. She says her injuries include a fractured left shoulder, a traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, knee injuries, back injuries, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is not clear if Miles has returned to work.

““This accident was caused, at least in part, by (the defendants) knowingly assigning an inexperienced and inadequately trained pilot to operate the flight, demonstrating a reckless disregard for passenger safety in pursuit of operational efficiency,” the lawsuit alleges.

All 80 passengers and crew – including at least 16 Canadians – onboard the flight survived when the regional jet overturned upside down on a slippery runway on landing February 17. The crash sent 21 people to hospital.

16 other passengers in the crash have filed lawsuits citing negligence and alleging that the airline bears responsibility under the Montreal Convention, a treaty that holds carriers liable for injuries suffered during international flights. Delta Air Lines has previously offered passengers a “no strings attached” lump payout of $30,000 each.

Miles’ lawsuit claims the plane experienced a “violent and catastrophic drop” during landing and “struck the ground with excessive force” before coming to rest upside down. Miles was temporarily rendered unconscious while hanging upside down from her seatbelt surrounded by smoke and covered in jet fuel. She then had to jump more than six feet to the ground to escape after the emergency slides didn’t launch. The suit also states that the plane exploded about two minutes after she got off the plane.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) continues its investigation which in March, found several issues so that need to be investigated further such as an alert sent by the plane’s system “indicating a high rate of descent” less than three seconds before landing, with a pitch altitude of one degree – it should be between three and eight. The TSBC is also looking at issues that include pilot training and the functionality of landing gear and why the cockpit door was stuck shut, trapping the pilots.

They’ve announced the investigation could take until the end of 2026.