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THE JERSEY JOURNAL - THRUSDAY, JULY 17, 1997
LAWYER FIGHTS FOR CRASH VICTIMBy John Patrick
Journal staff writer HOBOKEN---To Hoboken attorney Gerald Baker, there is not such thing as a random or senseless act. Someone is responsible. And someone will pay. "The families need to know what happened so that maybe they can get a little peace in their soul. And that's what the civil trail system is all about---determining fault," said Baker, a prominent personal injury lawyer. Baker is representing the family of TWA Flight 800 crash victim Pamela McPherson, a 44-year-old Bronx resident and an off-duty flight attendant who was on the ill-fated jet enroute to another assignment. Thus far, at least 40 suits have been field in the TWA case. None of them involve the two Hudson County victims. Bake is no stranger to aviation lawsuits. He litigated three civil suits in connection with the Korean Airlines jet downed over Soviet air space 14 years ago. Two settlements and one jury verdict yielded a total of $6.3 million in damages. In the TWA suit, the family is suing both the airlines and Boeing manufacturer of the aircraft. The suit alleges that TWA failed to provide adequate security and that the aircraft was not airworthy. Next week, Baker will visit the hangar housing the reassembled remnants of Flight 800. "After a year, enough is enough. The bottom line is, it's time for the government to allow the families to perform their own investigation," he said. Baker, born and raised in Hoboken, is a graduate of Yale Law School. He went into practice with his father, the late Nathan Baker, in Hoboken in 1968 and has been practicing in the Mile Square City every since. "I have a feeling that seeing this plane, which has touched the conscience of all of American society, will leave an indelible impression," he added. "On the other hand, it's my job. And someone has to go there representing people who have been victimized." |
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