An off-duty flight attendant recognized for her bravery during a Delta plane crash in Toronto earlier this year is now suing the airline, alleging it compromised safety and knowingly endangered passengers.
The suit accuses Delta and its regional carrier, Endeavor Air, of negligence for assigning an "inexperienced" pilot and failing to adequately train the flight crew.
CBC News reported that a 15-page lawsuit filed this week in a federal court in Michigan by Vanessa Miles claims she suffered serious injuries in the crash and is seeking at least $75 million in damages.
“Delta declines to comment on pending litigation and continues to fully support the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s ongoing investigation,” a Delta spokesperson told The Independent on Thursday.
On February 17, Flight 4819, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor, flipped upside down and skidded down the runway in a fiery landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, resulting in at least 21 people being hospitalized. The flight had departed from Minneapolis with 80 passengers and crew on board. Video and photos of the plane upside down on the snowy runway quickly made headlines.
According to the lawsuit, the 67-year-old was employed as a flight attendant with Endeavor at the time of the crash but was not on duty that day. Instead, she was traveling as a passenger, a common industry practice known as "deadheading," to position herself for her next assignment.
Michael Morse, the owner of the law firm representing Miles, said she remains an Endeavor employee but has been unable to return to work due to her injuries.
"Something went wrong here," Morse told CBC News. "Incidents like this don’t occur without someone’s negligence."
In the lawsuit, Miles describes losing consciousness while hanging upside down in her seatbelt after the aircraft came to rest on its roof. When she came to, she was "soaked in jet fuel and surrounded by smoke.”
A Detroit resident, Miles was hospitalized in Toronto and sustained multiple injuries, including trauma to her knees and back, a fractured left shoulder and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the filing.
"Defendants knowingly, willfully, and repeatedly place profits over safety, resulting in this catastrophic incident and Plaintiff's severe injuries," the complaint reportedly reads.
Miles isn’t the only person suing the airlines over this incident. At least 19 lawsuits have been filed by both Canadian and American passengers against Delta and Endeavor Air, CBC News reports.
In its preliminary report released in March, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board said that the aircraft experienced a rapid descent and an abnormal nose pitch in the final moments before landing. However, the agency stated it was still too early to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The TSB’s full investigation report is expected to be published by fall 2026.
