WHY I NEVER WENT TO LAW SCHOOL, XVII

Dahlia Lithwick has an amusing take on a Supreme Court case about the meaning of the word “accident” as it pertains to an asthmatic man dying on an airplane because of exposure to second hand smoke when the stewardess refused to let him move. Beyond that, the case defies summary–it’s rather odd.

A related issue, not addressed by Lithwich, is one of personal responsibility. If I’m so sick that exposure to second hand smoke–even the amount that filters into the No Smoking section–is enough to trigger a possibly fatal asthma attack, wouldn’t it behoove me to stay off airlines or at least arrange to be on a smoke-free flight?

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