Comair FO James Polehinke?

[capt. megadeth]

I don't know if I spelled the last name right but I was thinking about the FO from the Comair crash in LEX the other day. I was just wondering if anyone knows how he is doing. Thanks.

 

[snap145]

last i heard he had been moved from Lexington to a rehabilitation center, where I dont know, maybe some of the Comair guys would know more....I wish him luck though

 

[Crzipilot]

Last I heard, he was still in LEX, but was supposed to be going to NY or something to continue his recovery. Doesn't remember anything, or vague recollection of the crash, hadn't been told the details yet, as the shrinks played with that. I believe he also required to have a leg amputated, but overall was improving as expected.......just what I heard, so dunno..

 

[SF340Guy]

I am not an a$$, and if I don't write this correctly someone will call me insensative or whatever. Just wondering... Does his name still appear on the company seniority list, and is the company supporting him during his recovery? Is there disability insurance or pay at Comair, and does/would it apply here?

 

[McNugget]

There were guys who were on serious long-term medical LOA at ACA/Independence. The company didn't help them, so we had a Pilot Mutual Aid Fund for those of us who weren't too cheap to donate a few bucks out of each paycheck to help a brother out. Maybe Comair has something like that.

 

[Crzipilot]

I believe he's covered by OJI or something like that. though don't know the details of how those programs work...etc......So I think he's covered by workmens comp or something..

 

[701EV]

By law Workmans Compensation will take care of his medical bills and compensation.

701EV

 

[ReportCanoa]

By law Workmans Compensation will take care of his medical bills and compensation.

701EV

Question is- will the Comair insurer try to fight it.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

I, too, heard he is in rehab. I heard from a person "in the know" that the family has set up an email address that he uses to communicate to pilots and/or anyone who wishes to email him. He is actually able to reply to an email if you want to send him one. Unfortunately, I don't know the email address.
I don't know the verbage I need to use so that I won't wind up offending those of you that choose to be easily offended, but I am told that his responses are short and for the lack of a better word, elementary. The poor guy dosent even remember the crash.
Unfortunately, he is personally being sued by numerous family members of the people killed in the crash.

 

[Huck]

- The only way the insurer could get out of paying is if his actions were not in furtherance of his duties - not likely.

- The company is vicariously liable for his actions. Even if he is personally named in the suit, the liability goes straight to his employer.

 

[wrigley23]

- The only way the insurer could get out of paying is if his actions were not in furtherance of his duties - not likely.

- The company is vicariously liable for his actions. Even if he is personally named in the suit, the liability goes straight to his employer.

I think there would be very few of us that would fly passengers if we could be sued personally. I haven't heard the Comair details but if people are suing Polehinke outside of naming him in the Comair suit, this country is majorly *@#$%! We would have to start getting malpractice insurance like doctors.

 

[Tarzan]

Malpractice insurance for pilots? I am almost chuckled but then I realized that may not be too far off if we aren't careful. All it takes is one judge to change the rules from the bench, then we are hosed.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

I think there would be very few of us that would fly passengers if we could be sued personally. I haven't heard the Comair details but if people are suing Polehinke outside of naming him in the Comair suit, this country is majorly *@#$%! We would have to start getting malpractice insurance like doctors.

Yeah, some people in this country are majorly *@#$%! up!
You know what they say; sue everybody, and you're bound to actually walk away with some money from one of them.
I was told it even gets worse than families wanting to sue Polehinke. Alot of the victims' families are outraged, and that's understandable, but aparantly one of the victims' relatives actually tried to locate the Captain's family for the purpose of suing his estate. Unbelievable. Again, all of this is hearsay.

 

[Way2Broke]

MOD INPUT:

Please try to stay on topic. The thread is getting a bit off topic. Please don't make it get locked down. Get back to the the comair f/o and how he is doing, etc! Take the other debates to threads about those things please. I cleaned up the off topic posts in hope that we can get back on topic and remain respectful to those involved in the Comair crash. Thanks!

 

[Rally]

Hope he recovers and finds a way to fly again. I'd have alot more respect for this guy then I would for other frosted hair, backpack wearing, IPOD wearing punks.

 

[14RF SUX]

Hope he recovers and finds a way to fly again.

It can be done.

 

[The_Russian]

True.

 

[Lear70]

I believe he's covered by OJI or something like that. though don't know the details of how those programs work...etc......So I think he's covered by workmens comp or something..

Correct. Workman's Comp, by federal law, is required to pay every single one of his medical bills as well as 2/3 of the average of his last 3 month's salary.

Period.

Additionally, if he did have a limb amputated (or mentally handicapped) and was permanently unable to resume flying duties, he would draw workman's comp until the permanent disability insurance kicked in (usually 6 months to a year, depending on Comair's insurance), then he would continue to draw that for life.

As far as I know, there isn't a single carrier out there that doesn't provide LTD (Long-Term Disability) as part of an employee's basic insurance package. The odds are such a long-shot that you will ever be permanently disabled that the premiums are usually very cheap and the company almost always provides it (I don't know of any who don't).

Best of luck to him, and the families of those who perished; one moment of loss of SA and a lifetime of suffering for so many.

 

[NoBathroom]

If anyone knows the e-mail for Jim, please send it to me. Thanks.

 

[AV80R]

Yes an email address would be nice, even though maybe we could send emails to flightinfo and then you guys could forward the emails to him? I'm afraid some jerk will try to blame him for the crash instead of offering his/her support. What do ya’ll think?

 

[HA25]

Last I heard, he was still in LEX, but was supposed to be going to NY or something to continue his recovery. Doesn't remember anything, or vague recollection of the crash, hadn't been told the details yet, as the shrinks played with that. I believe he also required to have a leg amputated, but overall was improving as expected.......just what I heard, so dunno..

What an absolute tragedy.. my prayers with him and the 49 others.

 

[DrunkIrishman]

14RF-

Have you communicated with Jim at all?

I don't know that there would be anybody else I would want to talk to about the accident except you or a handful of others.

 

[capt. megadeth]

The poor guy dosent even remember the crash.
Unfortunately, he is personally being sued by numerous family members of the people killed in the crash.

It's probably better then that he doesn't remember. Do people have any morals these days? To know someone is in that condition and sue them personally just makes me sick to my stomach. I mean, do people have any compassion?

 

[capt. megadeth]

Malpractice insurance for pilots? I am almost chuckled but then I realized that may not be too far off if we aren't careful. All it takes is one judge to change the rules from the bench, then we are hosed.

No kidding!

 

[dojetdriver]

No kidding!

True. But there is a good amount of physicans out there who have had people die under their care. And thanks to their malpractice insurance and legal team, guess what, they are still working and pulling down fat 6 figure salaries.

There is one in Denver, a brain surgeon. Had something like 5 people die under his care, all apparently his fault for some reason or another. Makes something like 450K a year. Now I don't know what his premiums are for malpractice insurance. But for being a habitual screw up in his field and killing people because of incompetence, thats still some pretty good coin.

Could you imagine passengers having to sign the liability forms everytime they board and airplane like you do when you have a surgery done?

 

[wmuflyguy]

Could you imagine passengers having to sign the liability forms everytime they board and airplane like you do when you have a surgery done?

They should just make it part of buying the ticket.

Kinda like if you go to a hockey game, the back of the ticket says the arena isn't responsible if the puck launches over the glass and knocks the last couple teeth you have out of your skull.

They already have the Warsaw Convention stuff that limits liability on international tickets.

 

[sperfly]

I'm strictly part 91 Corporate and understand the backpack wearing, Ipod wearing part. But what is the deal with the frosted hair, sorry to get back off topic but I've heard this description many times in many different treads and was just curious if people where really frosting there hair these days.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

Unfortunately, we live in a time of frivolous lawsuits and ambulance chasing lawyers.

Understandibly enough, the families of the crash victims are not only grieving, but also probably very frustrated. I'm sure they're being encouraged by greedy lawyers to sue everybody.

Even though this fo was behind the controls at the time of the crash, he is also a victim. He did not plan this tragedy to happen! I would hope that if anything ever went to court, a competent judge would dismiss the case.

We all know that grave mistakes were made on that day. The crew shouldn't have taken off on that runway. A crew is always responsible for their flight. I don't know what the families of the victims should do, but I DO know that suing them personally is NOT the answer.
This pilot and his family has already gone through enough, they don't need to be bothered by lawsuits.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

But what is the deal with the frosted hair, sorry to get back off topic but I've heard this description many times in many different treads and was just curious if people where really frosting there hair these days.

Our industry forefathers who flew the first airliners back in the old days would turn over in their graves if they saw how some of these young backpack/ipod/spikey hair wonderpilot punks look nowadays.

 

[sperfly]

Are pilots really frosting there hair though, I find that to be pretty homo.