Singapore Airlines is being sued by a former flight attendant who is said to have slipped on board an Airbus A350 on September 5, 2019, causing a herniated disc. No less than $1,2 million is required.
The accident occurred on September 5, 2019 on a scheduled flight from San Francisco to Singapore. On board the Airbus A350, the flight attendant at the time is said to have slipped on an unspecified grease stain. According to the TV station CNA, the first hearing in a Singapore court took place on February 13, 2024. The plaintiff is said to have worn a supportive corset. According to his own statements, he has been dependent on this since the accident.
When questioned by the court, he stated that he accused his former employer of failing to organize the processes on board in such a way that the accident would not have happened. Specifically, the grease stain would have created a danger spot. When it was suggested that he himself might have been responsible for the removal, reference was made to the cleaning service. It is not entirely clear whether the impurity occurred before the start or afterward.
Closer questioning by the judge revealed that the man slipped on the grease stain while serving a meal to a passenger and then hit his head on the floor of the aircraft cabin. He was no longer able to work after that and was taken out of the plane in a wheelchair after landing in Singapore and then taken to a hospital for treatment.
Singapore Airlines, through the lawyer representing the airline in this case, countered that there was no grease stain at all and therefore the fall had another cause. According to CNA, the plaintiff then said that he noticed it shortly before takeoff and informed the senior flight attendant. He was then given instructions to remove the grease stain immediately. But that didn't work and the supervisor said that he would note this and then pass it on to cleaning.
According to CNA, the plaintiff is said to have involved himself in numerous contradictions because he was given instructions to remove the grease stain a second time. However, he repeatedly claimed in the hearing and in the statement of claim that he had not seen it at all and had slipped on it. The plaintiff's lawyer even suspects that this did not exist because there would be no corresponding entry for the senior flight attendant. The court has not yet come to a decision because more witnesses are to be called. The trial was postponed.