Dépêches

Injured Passengers of Southwest Airlines Flight 1705 Will Hold a Telephone Press Conference Today at 10:00 AM, PDT to Talk About Petition Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court to Preserve Evidence of Onboard Exposure to Contaminated Air

Dépèche transmise le 29 avril 2009 par Business Wire

Injured Passengers of Southwest Airlines Flight 1705 Will Hold a Telephone Press Conference Today at 10:00 AM, PDT to Talk About Petition Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court to Preserve Evidence of Onboard Exposure to Contaminated Air

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Greene Broillet & Wheeler:

WHAT: Twin sisters, Victoria Vaughn Holsted and Valerie Vaughn, age 45, and their attorneys will hold a telephone press conference on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Pacific Daylight Time, to discuss why they filed a Petition for Preservation of Evidence in Los Angeles Superior Court against Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV). They claim that exposure to contaminated air while passengers onboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1705 from Los Angeles, CA to Nashville, TN on January 27, 2009 has caused them to suffer serious and debilitating health problems. The toll free call in number is (877) 322-9648; code 525327.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Pacific Daylight Time.

CALL IN ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS:

Toll Free: (877) 322-9648

Code: 525327

WHO: Victoria Vaughn Holsted (a resident of Franklin, TN) and her sister, Valerie Vaughn (a resident of Birmingham, AL), were in Los Angeles for a brief winter vacation. On January 27, 2009, they boarded Southwest Airlines Flight 1705 at Los Angeles International Airport, destined for home. The plane was a Boeing 737-300 jet aircraft and was scheduled to stop in Nashville, TN, Birmingham, AL and Baltimore, MD.

About one-hour into the flight they, along with the other passengers, began to experience oxygen deprivation, among other problems. Alerted to the problem, the pilot then engaged the engines at full thrust and entered a steep ascent. As this occurred, super heated air began to surge out of the ventilation system and onto the passengers. Also present was the appearance of a mist. The plane made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, NM. The sisters and other passengers then took another flight that went on to Nashville and then Birmingham.

During and after Southwest Airlines Flight 1705, both Victoria and Valerie experienced such symptoms as extreme pressure in their heads, nasal passages and ears which did not go away. These symptoms were followed by serious physical and mental ailments, including tremors, memory loss, motor skill deficiencies, blurred vision, numbness and tingling in their extremities, among others.

Despite repeated requests, Southwest Airlines gave the sisters the runaround when they called the airline with questions as to what they were exposed to on Flight 1705 so that their doctors would know how to best care for them; and calls that they made to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) offered no pertinent information. Through this Petition, they seek to preserve and obtain information that is vital to their medical treatment. Victoria Vaughn Holsted and Valerie Vaughn, Petitioners, vs. Southwest Airlines Co., Expected Adverse Party, Case No. BS120400.

Also participating in the press conference are the sisters’ attorneys Christine D. Spagnoli and Robert D. Jarchi with the Los Angeles, CA law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler (www.greene-broillet.com), Alisa R. Brodkowitz with the Seattle, WA law firm of Brodkowitz Law (www.brodkowitzlaw.com) and Michael Withey with the Seattle, WA Law Offices of Michael Withey (www.witheylaw.com).

PHOTOS: Photographs of the Petitioners are available upon request by emailing Kathy Pinckert at [email protected].