Verdict pending in lawsuit over 2011 Guyana plane crash

A federal judge is considering whether an airline should pay damages to a Connecticut woman injured in a plane crash in Guyana in 2011. Judge Michael Shea in Hartford presided over a three-day, nonjury trial earlier this month in a lawsuit by Waterbury resident Indrawatie Shiwbodh against Caribbean Airlines. The judge is expected to rule sometime after Feb. 9, when final briefs are due. Shiwbodh, formerly of East Haven, was among 157 passengers and six crew members on a Boeing 737 that overshot the runway and broke in half at Cheddi Jagan International Airport on July 30, 2011. No one died, but dozens were injured. The flight originated from Kennedy Airport in New York. Investigators concluded that coordination between the captain and co-pilot broke down as the plane landed, and that the pilots failed to reduce excess power during landing and did not use the plane's full deceleration capabilities. The airline has settled all other claims in lawsuits filed in connection with the crash by more than 150 other passengers, including Shiwbodh's husband and adult daughter, said John Maggio, a New York-based lawyer for Caribbean Airlines. Terms of the settlements are confidential and the airline has not admitted to any wrongdoing in any of the cases, he said.<br/>