An airplane accident can happen at any time, and the physical and emotional injuries can be severe. Survivors are left with serious injuries that may include a back injury, broken bones, paralysis, a head injury or a brain injury. Such injuries require extensive treatment and long recovery times. Recovering victims often miss weeks or months of work. Others never return to work because their injuries are permanent. The families of lost loved ones are left emotionally devastated and may also suffer financially. At such an emotional time it is important to consult with an experienced Brooklyn airplane crash attorney before to discuss your legal options. You should do so quickly as there are time limits that you must follow when you file a negligence lawsuit.
Reasons airplanes crashIn addition to large, commercial jets, there are several other types of aircraft, including small airplanes owned by individuals, large jets operated by major airlines, charter planes used by vacation tour companies, helicopters, non-motorized aircraft, and other types of recreational aircraft. While there are numerous causes of airplane disasters, typically they are caused by one or more of the following reasons:
The NTSB and FAA control air travel and lead the investigations in to every accident involving an aircraft. The FAA develops safety standards for flight operations and pilot conduct. In addition, the FAA develops standards for companies that manufacturers aircraft and enforces their regulations through both criminal penalties and civil penalties. The job of the NTSB is to investigate every civil airplane accident and propose safety standards to prevent future disasters.
In-flight accidentsIn addition to airplane crashes, there are other types aviation accidents that may result in serious injuries. For example, luggage falling from overhead bins can cause head, back and neck injuries. Despite the care taken by flight attendants and the warnings given by passengers, thousands of passengers are injured each year from baggage that has fallen from overhead bins.
Rolling food carts are also a common cause of injury. The aisles on airplanes are narrow. If a cart is not pushed with the utmost care, carts can easily ram into seated passengers, causing injury to arms, shoulders, legs, ankles, or feet.Many of the more serious injuries are caused when an airplane experiences turbulence. Severe turbulence can be quite dangerous. Passengers can be thrown from seats. Babies are sometime thrown through the air. The most severe injuries usually occur during turbulence to passengers who are not wearing seatbelts.
Types of damagesThe party responsible for an accident could be the pilot, the airline, the airport, the manufacturer of the airplane, air traffic controllers or another party. It depends on the cause of the accident.
Regardless of who caused the accident, if you or a family member was injured in the accident the law allows you to seek damages through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Depending on the types of losses you suffered, there may be a number of different types of damages available to you. For instances, those who suffer severe injuries in an aircraft accident or mishap will certainly have significant medical bills. These bills may include those from the emergency room, hospital, surgeons, and other doctors and specialists. Other expenses may include ambulance fees, costs of prescriptions, costs of medical equipment, as well as costs of rehabilitation services.
Furthermore, if you are injured in an accident you may miss a few days, weeks or even months of work. The person or company who was responsible for your injuries may be ordered to pay you the wages and other compensation that you lost. For example, if you had to use vacation or sick days while you recovered, the negligent party will have to pay you the value of those days. Pain and suffering is a type of damages that includes not only pain caused by physical injuries, but also emotional and mental pain that causes you to experience fear, sadness, concern, inconvenience and the loss of the enjoyment of life.
If your spouse, parent or child dies as a result of injuries suffered in an airplane crash, you may have the right to pursue damages from the negligent party through a special type of personal injury claim called a wrongful death lawsuit.
Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & AssociatesAirplane crash cases are extremely complex and may involve New York law, federal law as well as international law. To ensure that your interests are protected, it is imperative that you are represented by lawyers with experience handling airplane accident cases. Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates to discuss the details of your case. Our staff has experience in representing clients who have been injured in catastrophic accidents such as accidents involving commercial planes, private jets and helicopters. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.