How much is a life worth? Relatives of westerners killed in MH370 crash to receive MILLIONS more in compensation than families of the plane's Asian passengers - as airline prepares for $750 million in claims

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2590381/HHow-life-worth-Relatives-westerners-killed-MH370-crash-receive-MILLIONS-compensation-families-planes-Asian-passengers-airline-prepares-750-million-claims.html

Easier just to post the link as the page comes out too small to read.

The nationality of each passenger will make a staggering difference to the compensation payments made to the families of the 239 people killed in the crash of flight MH370, according to legal experts.


Public liability lawyers say the biggest disparity will be the difference between the payouts offered to the relatives of western passengers, compared to those from Asian countries.

American aviation crash attorney Floyd Wisner said passengers and crew from China, Malaysia and Indonesia would fare worse in their claims due to what they are calling a limited view of damages.

'They could evaluate these cases and say a Chinese life is (of) less value than an American life. That's unfair and that's going to cause problems,' he told CNBC


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2590381/HHow-life-worth-Relatives-westerners-killed-MH370-crash-receive-MILLIONS-compensation-families-planes-Asian-passengers-airline-prepares-750-million-claims.html#ixzz2x9l2FO3k

I'm sorry, but it makes perfect sense.

When you take life cover or long term sickness cover for work it depends on your salary.

If you work abroad any extra payments depend on where you are working and how much things cost in that country.

That's why the Gurkha's should never have won their battle for the same pension as others in the British Army.

You have to bear in mind the cost of living disparity in different countries. A thousand pounds doesn't mean much to someone living in the US, but to someone in a poor country it'd be a lot.

BigAndy9 wrote:The nationality of each passenger will make a staggering difference to the compensation payments made to the families of the 239 people killed in the crash of flight MH370, according to legal experts.


Public liability lawyers say the biggest disparity will be the difference between the payouts offered to the relatives of western passengers, compared to those from Asian countries.

American aviation crash attorney Floyd Wisner said passengers and crew from China, Malaysia and Indonesia would fare worse in their claims due to what they are calling a limited view of damages.

'They could evaluate these cases and say a Chinese life is (of) less value than an American life. That's unfair and that's going to cause problems,' he told CNBC


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2590381/HHow-life-worth-Relatives-westerners-killed-MH370-crash-receive-MILLIONS-compensation-families-planes-Asian-passengers-airline-prepares-750-million-claims.html#ixzz2x9l2FO3k

...sad subject but how much for a little Englander Andy? ...if there had been one on the plane like?

Maybe so and I can see the cost of living difference, but Millions..............  Very few people earn that in a lifetime.  8 - 10 $million is obscene.

   THE airline will likely be working their compensation formula out on x number of years multiplied by the average salary for each country, and factoring in whether the casualties were single or had dependent families...

NOT fair by any means, but typical "corporate mindset" from the Malaysian Airlines lawyers' views..

IF they simply split the 'pot'/'kitty' up more evenly beteen the victims families, they could closer to an average of just over $2 - 3 million each - more than fair in anyone's mind ?

AND that would have been more like the "ballpark figure" that I would have had in mind as well..

Lone Wolf wrote: 
   THE airline will likely be working their compensation formula out on x number of years multiplied by the average salary for each country, and factoring in whether they ere single or had dependent families...

NOT fair by any means, but typical "corporate mindset" from the Malaysian Airlines lawyers' views..

IF they simply split the 'pot' up more evenly beteen the victims families, they could closer to an average of just over $3 million each - more than fair in anyone's mind ?

AND that would have been more like the "ballpark figure" that I ould have had in mind as well..

It "sounds" fair and wonderful but isn't.

If one of those people on the plane was an MD of a bank on £10million a year and had a wife and 4 children and they spent all their money as they go and another passenger was a person who earned £100 per year in China with a wife and no children but they both received £3million...  well, fair, maybe.  Make sense in the world we live in?  No.

  IN THAT case, Andy ~ that director's employment contract would already have a superannuation (pension..)/insurance component in there that would probably pay out a minimum of a years income on an accidental or work-related death like this... Plus the accrued pension funds..

SO, his family would already be gaining twice over, in these outcomes !  

Lone Wolf wrote:
   IN THAT case, Andy ~ that director's employment contract would already have a superannuation (pension..)/insurance componet in there that would probably pay out a minimum of a years income on an accidental or work-related death like this...

SO, his family would already be gaining twice over, in these outcomes !     

I'm not arguing with that.

But that is a separate issue to the payouts from the airline.

When a lot of squaddies retire they get an immediate pension - when they then go for jobs and your time in the army comes up they prick their ears up and say "so you're already getting a pension every month huh? Oh, so we can pay you less then."

"Errrm... yes of course you can, and you can feck right off too!"

so you think a ghurka does not deserve the same pension as a British soldier? In a war situation the ghurka faces the same risks as a British soldier. why should he not get the same pension? a lot of them have settled with their families in this country and face the same expences that we do!!

nicko wrote:so you think a ghurka does not deserve the same pension as a British soldier? In a war situation the ghurka faces the same risks as a British soldier. why should he not get the same pension? a lot of them have settled with their families in this country and face the same expences that we do!!

And the infantryman may face worse than the General - who gets most? The one with the better contract.

that's not an answer.

gerber wrote:Maybe so and I can see the cost of living difference, but Millions..............  Very few people earn that in a lifetime.  8 - 10 $million is obscene.

Totally agree Gerbs.

All litigious issues end up in a bidding war. This is what a classic wrongful death settlement negotiation sounds like.

But hear now...how do we even know these folks are dead? They may be just sitting down to a warm breakfast at a commissary somewhere in the world.

 Update: ~ 19:30 hrs AEST (approx. 10:30 am GMT/UT) ~ posted the following. Internet is so slo here it could take hours to upload !!!

AFTER earlier speculation about the discovery of the black box (see below..), the PM and the search controllers seemed to take a step back later in the day, to state that they were pretty sure that they had located the black box; and had narrowed the search zone even more..

(I'VE just managed to get back on the internet a few minutes ago !)>

THE folioing was posted at ~ 13:00 hours AEST ~ that was around 4:00 am UT (GMT) ~ it's taken over 8 hours already to upload !   

A "BLACK BOX" has been found in the Indian Ocean earlier today, it has been been reported on radio bulletins down here over the last couple of hours...

STILL to be confirmed where exactly it is from..

THE PM as set to make an announcement with the next hour..

FOR latest reports. check out the Oz media sites :

Fairfax media
News Ltd

ABC Australia

Channel Nine
Channel Ten
Channel Seven