Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Airplanes, Blood Clots, and Motions in Limine

The New York Times is carrying a story on lawsuits alleging a link between long-haul air travel and the risk of blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. More than 200 such suits have been filed, but an action now pending in Los Angeles may be the first to go to trial. There is peer-reviewed literature supporting a causal link, and researchers have urged airlines to advise passengers on how to mitigate the risks. But a spokesman for the airline industry has denied any direct causal association.

And in the event of a water landing, your seat cushion may serve as a flotation device.

posted by pn at 11:41 PM  

Fed. R. Evid. 702: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.