A model who walked into the propeller of a plane during a sight-seeing trip in December has sued the insurance company for the airplane the pilot of the plane. The model, Lauren Scruggs, is 23 and needed to have her left eye removed following the accident that took place on the runway. The pilot of the plane, Curt Richmond, said that he left the propeller of the plane turned on following the landing but he said that he warned Scruggs as she stepped off of the plane. Richmond came out with this information back in the month of January.
The NTSB released a report about the accident that says Richmond “leaned out of his seat and placed his right hand and arm in front of her (Scruggs) to divert her away from the front of the airplane and the propeller.” Not long after this occurred, Richmond heard someone yelling ‘Stop, Stop.’ Richmond then went to turn off the plane’s engine but it was too late as he saw Scruggs lying on the ground in front of the plane.
Aggressive Insurance Services is being sued not only by Scruggs but also her father Jeff. Aggressive Insurance Services is the company that holds the insurance policy for the plane. The lawsuit was filed on Monday of this week. It claims that Aggressive Insurance Services ‘verbally offered’ to pay Scruggs close to $200,000 after the incident occurred. This is the policy limit per passenger according to the company. The lawsuit also claims that Scruggs was technically not a passenger in the plane when the accident occurred. The lawsuit states that “she was not in the aircraft or getting in or out of it at the time of the incident,” which means that Scruggs should receive more money for the accident instead of just the $200,000 offered verbally by Aggressive Insurance Services following the accident.
The lawsuit filed by Scruggs and her father Jeff also reads as follows:
“Ms. Scruggs, in contrast, takes the literal and logical view of the term “getting out of” the aircraft, and contends that she was no longer a “passenger” because she had completed her exit from the aircraft prior to the time of the incident and was physically located on the tarmac when the incident happened. Until struck by the propeller, she was not in physical contact with the aircraft after her exit. It’ll be up to the court to define “passenger.””