The Region - News from Sept. 12, 1986

Making what it calls a “humanitarian” gesture, Aeromexico has offered to pay the funeral expenses for 79 of the people killed when one of its DC-9 jetliners collided with a private plane and slammed into a quiet neighborhood in Cerritos on Aug. 31. But the Mexican airline will not be offering any quick settlements for the loss of life or property because it does not believe it was responsible for the accident, an Aeromexico attorney said. “I’m simply saying that Aeromexico is not voluntarily coming forward to pay damages for what they are not responsible for,” said Frank Silane, an attorney with the Los Angeles office of Condon & Forsyth. Airlines and their insurance companies customarily pay the bill for funerals caused by air disasters, said the funeral director handling the arrangements.