What did the high court decide today?
Victims of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) reacted angrily today after a high court judge effectively blocked their case for damages against up to 30 airlines. Mr Justice Nelson ruled that, under the terms of the 1929 Warsaw convention (that governs all international carriage of persons by aircraft for reward), DVT cannot be deemed an “accident” and therefore airlines cannot be held responsible for the condition. The Warsaw convention only allows for recovery of compensation in respect of personal injury or death caused by an accident. However he did give leave for the 55 claimants, a group of DVT survivors and the families of people who have died from the condition, to appeal. Solicitors for the claimants and some MPs have argued that the convention is now out of date. Counsel Stuart Cakebread told the court that the phenomenon did not strike “rarely and unexpectedly” and added: “We are dealing with repeated, statistically predictable and relatively frequent deaths and injuries inflicted,
