Detroit Woman Gives Northwest Airlines The Knee

It had to happen. I was kind of expecting the first lawsuit over impossibly small airplanes and seats to be a head injury. You know, when you crack your head against the overhead bin when you try to stand up to exit your row. It has to have happened to you if you are over 5 ft. tall

But no. The first federal lawsuit to be filed against an airline for injuries sustained during the excruciating task of getting into and out of your airplane seat involves a knee. I'll bet she also hit her head during her attempt to negotiate the hurdle. Speaking of which, it would help to be a world-class hurdler in this situation, wouldn't it?

Kathy Kuhn of suburban Detroit was attempting to land in a middle coach seat. You could say she should know better, but lets be honest. Most of us have tried this maneuver at one time or another. Some successfully, some not. In Kathy's case, she couldn't get the armrest to go away. Her knee and the armrest tangled. Kathy lost.

She was on her way to Las Vegas with her husband, who says she was on crutches the whole time they were there. I hope her injury at least got her some sympathy at the blackjack table.

You knew this was coming next . . . Now if it was 50 years ago and Kathy was boarding a Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser . . . she not only wouldn't have had a middle seat to contend with, both she and her husband could have shared one of those huge, soft, cushy Stratocruiser seats and had room to spare.

Well . . . almost.