Yeager Airport is located just outside of downtown Charleston.
CHARLESTON - A Charleston man has filed a suit on behalf of a man who was injured when he fell down the steps of a plane at Yeager Airport, after the special assistance he requested was not provided.
Bassam Haffar filed a suit Oct. 15 in Kanawha Circuit Court on behalf of Izat Haffar. The suit is against Air France, Delta Air Lines Inc., Comair Inc., Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Yeager Airport.
According to the suit, Izat Haffar and his wife were flying from Damascus, Syria, to Charleston, with stops in Paris and Atlanta. Arrangements were made for Haffar, due to his age and health.
According to the suit, during his first two stages of the flight, Haffar's needs were recognized and met. However, on the third and final stage of the trip, from Atlanta to Charleston, his needs were allegedly neglected.
Bassam Haffar claims Izat Haffar and his wife were separated on the flight, with his wife being seated in the back of the plane while he was in the front. Therefore, his wife could not provide the assistance needed.
Also, when the plan landed at Yeager, no one met Haffar to help him down the "steep and unstable runway stairs," the suit says.
As a result, Haffar fell down the stairs and suffered severe, permanent injuries while attempting to depart the aircraft.
Izat Haffar, through his attorney, seeks actual and consequential damages, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, annoyance and inconvenience, loss of ability to enjoy life and emotional and mental distress. He also seeks compensatory damages.
Attorney Brett J. Preston is representing Haffar. The case has been assigned to Judge Irene Berger.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-2190