Port Authority police officers and a flight attendant suffered injuries at the Newark Airport. The incident serves as a reminder of the risks faced by airport and airline workers on a daily basis.

The incident allegedly began when a passenger banged on the cockpit door. The passenger allegedly attacked a flight attendant who tried to intervene. A Port Authority police officer fell off a portable stairway to a United Airlines flight when he attempted to arrest the unruly passenger. Four more Port Authority officers suffered injuries during the altercation.

Airline and airport employees can be injured on the tarmac, inside an airport terminal, on a plane, or behind a customer service desk. Employees serve a variety of functions, each with specials risks:

• A crash can kill or injure a pilot.
• Flight attendants slip or fall during unexpected turbulence, get struck by loose objects, or suffer injuries trying to control unruly passengers.
• Baggage handlers move and toss bags and other items, subjecting them to repetitive motion injuries and back injuries.
• Technicians and flight dispatchers work around loud noises, on heavy machinery, and in harsh weather conditions.
• Security employees at the airport or on the plane suffer injuries trying to control violent or unruly passengers.
• Maintenance personnel work with dangerous tools, risk back injuries from lifting heavy objects, and work outside in extreme weather conditions.

Airline and airport employees injured on the job can get workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation pays injured workers a portion of their wages and the employees’ medical bills. To learn more, talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer at Petrillo and Goldberg at 856.249.9295 or visit https://www.petrilloandgoldberg.com/.