An inbound United Airlines flight with 129 people on board slid off a runway at O’Hare International Airport Saturday afternoon according to the Chicago Fire Department. Shortly after the plane came to rest, Chicago Firefighters assisted in getting the passengers deplaned from the aircraft which had taken off from Phoenix hours earlier.

Although the Chicago Department of Aviation indicated other aircraft had landed safely on the runway just minutes before the attempted landing, snow had been falling for sometime after a winter storm descended upon Chicagoland Friday night and dumped five inches of snow on O’Hare by noon, according to the National Weather Service. At the time local media outlets reported the incident, Department officials indicated that it was in the process of working with United Airlines and City officials to recover the aircraft.

The past year has been chaotic for many passengers, including those who boarded an Aeromexico flight which crashed, injuring more than 80 people and sending dozens to the hospital. According to the BBC, there were twelve times as many plane crash fatalities in 2018 compared to 2017.

By Lindsay Proskey 

Tort reform legislation requiring Kentuckians to submit medical malpractice claims to a review panel of three physicians before they can file lawsuits was recently struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court for violating the state constitution. 

Tort reform efforts aim to reduce the ability of victims to bring tort litigation or to reduce damages they can receive. Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado (a practicing physician and lawmaker) has sponsored several pieces of legislation, including the Medical Review Panel Act, to deter plaintiffs from suing healthcare professionals.  

By Tim Tomasik

Recurring technical issues and Indonesian carrier Lion Air’s failure to ground its Boeing 737 MAX led to pilots' battle for control over their jet as it plunged into the Java Sea on October 28, investigators said on Wednesday. Stopping short of saying what exactly caused the plane to crash, investigators cited multiple contributing factors centered on the plane’s anti-stall system, faulty sensors, and Lion Air’s inferior safety culture.  

One day before the crash, pilots flying from Bali to Jakarta experienced similar issues and manually shut down the plane’s anti-stall system to adjust the plane’s pitch, regain control, and land safely. The flight crew immediately reported the occurrence to Lion Air maintenance, who deemed the plane airworthy for the next morning’s flight.  Mechanics certified the Boeing but failed to check sensors that measured whether the nose of the plane pointed up or down.

By Lindsay Proskey

In its third warning since 2017, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) told people not to eat romaine lettuce, which is linked to a multi-state E. coli outbreak. Along with the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Canadian officials are investigating the outbreak, which has sickened 50 people across the United States and Canada. No deaths have been reported, but 13 people in the U.S. and six in Canada have been hospitalized. 

Unlike the previous warnings directed at specific brands or growing regions, this blanket warning is directed at any and all types of romaine lettuce, including salad mixes containing romaine. Officials believe that contaminated lettuce is still on the market and need more information about the outbreak’s source before suppliers can be asked for a recall, said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. In the meantime, retailers and restaurants should discontinue supplying romaine lettuce to the public, and everyone should throw away any romaine lettuce at home.  

By Timothy Tomasik

New facts emerged in Wednesday’s hearing about the fatal aviation accident on a Southwest flight in which one passenger was killed after engine debris shattered the window she was nearly sucked through. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released new testimony saying passengers rushed to pull Jennifer Riordan back into the airplane after seeing her head, torso, and arm hanging out of the broken window. Flight attendant Rachel Fernheimer recalled that Jennifer’s seat belt was still fastened as one passenger reached outside of the airplane and grabbed her shoulders to pull her body back in.  

Pilots emergently landed the Boeing 737 in Philadelphia after learning that passengers were injured. Eight passengers suffered injuries, and Jennifer Riordan died tragically. This was the first death on a U.S. airline flight since 2009.