Bishop Legal recently secured a $2.175 Million Settlement, plus confidential settlement amounts, for a former Sea-Tac ramp worker who suffered catastrophic injuries in a September 2022 baggage tug accident at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The defendants included the Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines, Unifi Aviation, Daifuku Services, and TLD America. The Port of Seattle was responsible for the non-confidential settlement amount of $2.175 million. The other defendants entered separate settlements, the specific amounts of which are confidential.
The resolution was recently covered by KING 5 News, which interviewed Bishop Legal Founder Raymond Bishop about the case, the serious injuries ramp workers can suffer in tug-related incidents, and the safety concerns that continue to arise in airport ramp operations.
As reported by KING 5, Mr. Bishop and our firm represented Ms. Tia Valentine in a multiparty lawsuit over an incident in which she was ejected from a baggage tug and her right leg was run over after the vehicle made a sharp turn on the tarmac. As a result of the crash, Ms. Valentine suffered life-altering injuries that have left her with chronic pain, limited mobility, and the need for future surgeries.
The lawsuit, which was filed against Alaska Airlines, its baggage-handling contractor McGee Air Services, the Port of Seattle, and other defendants, alleged that the crash resulted from the defective design of the tug, defective or poorly maintained equipment, and unsafe ramp conditions on the tarmac that forced the tug driver to make a sharp evasive turn.
The lawsuit was ultimately resolved by settlement, with the Port’s share ($2.175 MILLION) paid by its insurer and not from taxpayer funds.
In his interview with KING 5, Mr. Bishop also explained that this case reflects a pattern our firm has seen in airport ramp injury litigation. Our firm has represented ramp workers, airport employees, and passengers injured at Sea-Tac and other airports and has secured noteworthy results. This includes:
- A $40 million jury verdict in an airport accident case involving a Sea-Tac ground crew member left triplegic after a tug collision; and
- An $11+ million settlement, the highest injury settlement on record against the Port of Seattle, for a Sea-Tac worker who suffered a traumatic leg amputation in a crash involving airport vehicles.
As Mr. Bishop told KING 5:
“In each of these cases, we’re filing for the same reasons. Because the equipment isn’t safe. Because the equipment doesn’t have cabs put on it, which in many cases could prevent the injuries completely.”
