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Women sues after turbulent flight

Rest of world set to follow suit

Women sues after turbulent flight
12 October 2011

When things go wrong, one of our first human instincts is to find someone to blame.

At times, this is easy and perfectly acceptable (soggy chips, rude waiter, murdered family) but on occasion, you simply have to suck it up and move on.

Houston resident Colleen O'Neal hasn't quite come to terms with this skill just yet. In 2009, she took a domestic flight in an area where tornados and thunderstorms had been reported. Understandably, there was some turbulence. What would have been a short flight ended up taking two hours.

Sure, that sucks. We get it. But O'Neal refused to let it lie. She's now suing Continental Airlines and three other carriers over the trauma she experienced. She believed she was going to die during the flight and now has post-traumatic stress disorder that prevents her from flying.

It's also affected her job as she currently works for the Department of Public Safety but had hoped to get a job with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the position would involve air travel. So she's suing for these economic benefits as well as for physical and mental anguish, medical bills and the cost of the lawsuit.

Ermmm, good luck with that.

Check out our list of people thrown off planes for ridiculous reasons

(Image: Rex Features)