Tracy Brammeier Presented at National Conference on Aviation Law

Tracy A. Brammeier, Partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Annual Convention in Chicago.

In her presentation titled “Pre-Impact Terror and Fright,” Tracy Brammeier examined a deeply significant and often misunderstood aspect of aviation litigation: the emotional and psychological trauma passengers experience in the moments before a crash. Drawing on years of work as Liaison Counsel in the Chicago federal litigation arising from the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX8 jet in Ethiopia, Brammeier discussed both the legal framework and the human impact of negotiating for full damages.

Clifford Law Offices represented 74 of the 157 victims killed aboard the flight. Through extensive work with victims’ families and the facts surrounding the crash, Tracy and the firm’s aviation team developed a comprehensive understanding of pre-impact terror and fright damages and their lasting effect on surviving loved ones.

“Pre-impact terror and fright is something our aviation team has spent years studying in the ET 302 litigation, both from a legal and factual perspective,” Tracy shares. “In a plane crash, the victims realize their fate, making it a unique aspect of many aviation cases when compared to other, more sudden events.”

She says she hoped attendees left the session with a deeper understanding of the emotional realities surrounding catastrophic aviation cases. “The horror of knowing the plane is about to crash and having no ability to do anything about it cannot be overstated,” she said.

The annual AAJ conference featured dozens of programs on topics ranging from mass torts to nursing home litigation.