American Airlines faces lawsuit after woman killed by lightning on tarmac

The family of a woman who was struck by lightning after stepping off a US Airways plane in South Carolina last summer is suing for damages.

Sonya Dockett, 52, died from the injuries sustained on the tarmac at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

"It was obvious she had taken a direct hit by the lightning," a fellow passenger told WISTV. "She was bleeding from the mouth. She was bleeding from her forehead."

On Tuesday, her family filed a lawsuit against the American Airlines, which US Airways has merged with, and the airport for negligence, according to local news station WFXG.

"Ms. Dockett came to her untimely death as a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ negligent, grossly negligent, willful, wanton, and reckless conduct or failure," the family's legal counsel wrote in the complaint.

The plane was supposed to land at Charlotte International Airport in North Carolina, but diverted to Columbia due to weather.

The lawsuit states that although the flight landed at Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 5:07 p.m., deplaning did not begin until 5:52 p.m. Ten minutes before deplaning, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area. 

Dockett was struck by lightning after stepping out onto the tarmac with her husband, son and daughter — all of whom have suffered emotional damage, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit also alleges that Dockett did not receive prompt medical care for her condition.

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport released a statement, saying: 

As airport operators we provide all of our carriers with passenger boarding bridges so that they can safely move passengers between the terminal and their aircraft. However, the airport is not involved in determining when or how they choose to deplane passengers. When the incident occurred, our public safety officers followed their procedures and responded within seconds. At this time, the airport and its legal team has not yet received notification that the Columbia Metropolitan Airport has been named in a lawsuit. Therefore, we are unable to provide any other specifics about the incident. 

An American Airlines spokesperson told Mashable that the company extends its deepest condolences to the family, but will not address the issue in the media.

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