Image: Flickr, Rudi Riet
Jerry Reinhardt was on board a plane at Portland International Airport in January 2013, on his way to Las Vegas, when another passenger tried to fit a large piece of baggage in the bin above him, according to a lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The suit states a flight attendant came over to help with the baggage, at which point it fell on Reinhardt.
Reinhardt is asking for $10,000 for medical expenses, $5,000 for lost income, and $34,000 in pain and suffering, according to The Oregonian. The suit faults the airline for not training the attendant, and for allowing a large bag on the plane as a carry-on.
A 1998 study by the Flight Safety Foundation estimated that more than 4,500 people are injured each year by baggage falling from overhead bins.
And injuries are apparently common enough for some lawyers to specialize in "overhead bin malfunctions," representing those who have been hurt by falling luggage.
In the lawsuit, Reinhardt says his injuries have caused headaches, dizziness and nausea, among other ailments. Previous cases have cited mild traumatic brain injury as a result of falling bags.
Debates about the safety of overhead luggage have been going on for years, although you wouldn't know it by looking at what passengers now bring on planes.
Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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