Dozens of Louisville residents, business join class action lawsuit over UPS plane crash

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Families of UPS crash victims are joining together in a lawsuit seeking justice for last week's deadly crash in Louisville.

The lawsuit was filed against UPS, General Electric and Boeing, claiming the companies' recklessness contributed to the plane crash that killed at least 14 people. Shakeara Ware, who lives near the crash site, joined Triple D, Inc., and Ensey LLC, in the class action complaint filed by Morgan & Morgan. Triple D is an auto repair shop on Knopp Avenue destroyed by the plane, and Ensey LLC, owns the building where Triple D, Inc., operates, according to Jefferson County property records.

"We've also been retained by over 60 individuals that were also affected, with varying degrees of injuries," Tanner Shultz, an attorney with Morgan & Morgan, said Wednesday. "We've also had numerous businesses reach out to us because of the impact this has had on their companies."

Shultz said he spent time meeting with victims in Louisville, describing the experience as "heart-wrenching."

“Yesterday, we met with quite a few people in Louisville," he said. "We spent the day, unfortunately, having to meet with people, hearing their stories, what they went through. It's heart-wrenching knowing what these people have seen, what they're experiencing on a daily basis and how they're struggling to get by."

Those joining the lawsuit range from families who lost loved ones in the crash to people who suffered smoke inhalation.

The lawsuit, filed last week, names UPS, which owned the cargo plane, as well as Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, the company that manufactured the MD-11 plane in 1991. General Electric is also named because the plane was powered by CF-6 engines manufactured by the company.

"Under Kentucky law, people generally have up to one year to bring a claim for personal injury like this," Shultz said. "We certainly anticipate more to come in. More have been coming in every day, unfortunately. But (we're) here to help everybody that we possibly can. It's staggering, frankly, how many people are reaching out about this and how they've been impacted."

Fourteen people died in last week’s crash. The lawsuit claims MD-11 planes and CF-6 engines have a history of catastrophic failures. It seeks a jury trial and approval for class-action status. You can read it in full below.

Download PDF