Determining how to move on after a catastrophic air disaster can feel impossible. Although coming to terms with what happened will inevitably take time, aviation disaster lawyers can help individuals recover damages for their pain and suffering. Learn more about air disasters and how lawyers handle these cases in this blog.
Recovery From Air Disasters | Aspects to Consider
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) US Civil Aviation Accident Statistics, general aviation (aircraft such as single-engine planes, private jets, and helicopters) was responsible for 12,368 accidents (2,269 of which were fatal accidents) that occurred between 2012 and 2021.
This data shows that the following types of issues caused these accidents:
System or component failure: This includes issues with propellers, rotors, reversers, and powerplant (engine) controls.
Loss of control in-flight and on-ground: Common in-flight problems include engine failure, icing, or stalls. Common on-ground problems include strong winds, poor loading of aircraft cargo, and more.
Runway issues: Runway problems include poor runway design or materials, bad weather, and runway traffic incursions.
Fuel-related problems: Fuel issues range from bad fuel lines, gauges, filters, carburetors, and fuel pumps to vapor blocks.
Other miscellaneous problems: This includes fires, bird strikes, collisions, and more.
Types of Crashes
Generally, there are 3 types of crashes that aircraft may experience.
Each type of accident results in passengers who may experience different kinds of injuries, ranging in severity from minor to fatal:
- High impact: These types of crashes typically occur when a plane strikes the ground rapidly or if there’s a mid-air collision. These crashes usually have few to no survivors.
- Low impact: These accidents often occur during take-off or landing. Passengers have a greater chance of surviving these incidents.
- Runway incursions: These crashes can involve 2 planes colliding on the ground or a plane colliding with a vehicle or building. Most passengers’ injuries are minor, and there are often few, if any, major or fatal accidents.
Other Types of Aviation-Related Accidents
Some aviation accidents are not crash-related. These accidents may involve:
- Individuals working on an aircraft: Examples include workers harmed while maintaining a plane or hurt by a plane propeller.
- Individuals hurt at an airport: Examples frequently include slips, trips, and falls from irregularities on walking surfaces.
Potentially Responsible Parties
As noted, aviation disasters can have several causes, which may mean that several individuals and/or entities could be responsible for the accident. Commonly responsible parties may include the following:
- Aircraft operator
- Aircraft operator’s employer
- Owner of the aircraft
- Manufacturer that made the aircraft or its component parts
- Individual or company responsible for maintaining the aircraft
- Air-traffic controllers
- Passengers on the aircraft
- Federal government
Survivor Needs
Recovery from air disasters may take a long time. If an individual survives, their injuries may affect them for the rest of their life. For this reason, individuals who survive disastrous aircraft accidents may need to recover damages from the physical, emotional, mental, and financial harm they experienced.
Air Disaster Injuries
According to a 2009 study that detailed aviation crash-related injuries from 2000 to 2005, 6,080 patients were admitted to US short-term hospitals with aircraft-related injuries. The following is a breakdown of the types of injuries these individuals sustained:
- Head injuries (973): Head injuries, which are caused by a blow to the head, a jolt to the body, or an object penetrating the skull, can range from minor to severe. Victims of airplane accidents may experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) to varying degrees. Depending on the severity of this injury, an individual’s symptoms may be as mild as headaches and as severe as a coma.
- Internal injuries (830): These injuries, which are not visible, vary and could include internal bleeding, damage to an organ, and more.
- Burns (218): Burns range in severity from minor to severe. While mild burns may be treated at home, traumatic burns could lead to other health complications and may require an individual to undergo surgery or need skin grafts.
- Injury to the joint or muscle (371): This could include tendon strains or ligament sprains.
- Lower-limb fractures (2,402): Bone fractures (broken bones) include a total break, chip, or crack. Breaks can pierce an individual’s skin (open break) or remain internal (closed break).
- Open wounds (904): Includes any injury that causes an external or internal break in the body’s tissue
While this study did not note spinal injuries, these severe injuries are also a possibility in catastrophic air accidents. Spinal injuries can include any injury that can affect the spinal cord or nerves at the base of the spinal cord (cauda equina).
Depending on the severity of an individual’s spinal cord injury, they may experience complete or partial paralysis, the inability to feel certain sensations or fully control some bodily functions, a decrease in strength, and more.
Emotional Recovery From Air Disasters
It’s common for individuals who have survived aircraft crashes to experience mental and emotional trauma because of the event. Besides possibly experiencing survivor guilt from living through catastrophic events, individuals may experience:
Anxiety: Feelings that include dread, fear, or unease. Anxiety disorders can cause an individual to develop panic disorders, phobias, or excessive worry.
Depression: Depression can have many symptoms, including but not limited to sadness, hopelessness, frustration, guilt, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, and more.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Individuals who experience traumatic events may develop PTSD. PTSD symptoms include being startled easily, feeling on-guard, issues concentrating, and more.
Survivor Families’ Needs
If an individual does not survive an aircraft accident, the victim’s family will need:
- Assistance getting justice for their loved one.
- Compensation for the damages they experience because of their loss.
Grief and Emotional Turmoil
Surviving victims often experience different types of emotional distress following aviation-related accidents. One of the more prominent emotions these individuals often must work through is grief.
The Mayo Clinic describes grief as a sometimes overwhelming emotion an individual may experience after:
- A loved one dies.
- Receiving a terminal diagnosis.
- Experiencing a drastic life change.
In addition to grief, family members of air disaster victims may also experience anxiety, depression, and/or PTSD.
Individuals Benefit From Experienced Lawyers
Building a case after an air disaster is very challenging. Therefore, it’s essential for individuals who have experienced harm because of an aviation disaster to work with an experienced air disaster lawyer. The following are a few reasons an individual will benefit from working with these attorneys:
Aviation Disaster Experience
Aircraft and aviation-related accidents differ greatly from other types of catastrophic accidents. Because these types of accidents can be challenging to investigate because of the nature of private aircraft regulations and their devastating nature, it’s essential to work with a lawyer with experience helping individuals involved in these crashes.
Evidence Collection Knowledge
When aviation accidents are disastrous, they often cause severe damage on impact that leads to the destruction of or extreme damage to evidence. This reality can make it more challenging to build a strong case and requires a lawyer with experience handling these issues.
Connections to Expert Witnesses to Strengthen a Claim
For victims and their families, recovery from air disasters requires assistance from various expert witnesses to help determine why a crash happened and the responsible parties. Besides having a lawyer who understands local, state, and federal laws regarding aircraft, individuals also will benefit from working with lawyers who have access to the following types of experts:
- Aircraft accident reconstructionists can help determine why a crash occurred.
- Aviation experts to help recover, download, and interpret the electronic control module (black box).
- Aircraft maintenance experts to help determine if a mechanical failure or poor maintenance caused the crash.
- Medical experts to evaluate an individual’s need for future medical care.
Ability to Quickly and Efficiently Take Care of Case Details
Aviation disaster lawyers will handle everything from efficiently handling and filing essential case paperwork to dealing with insurance companies. This leaves victims and their families free to focus on what is important: picking up the pieces of their lives and care for their emotional, mental, and physical needs.
Recovery From Air Disasters is Possible With the Help of Aviation Disaster Lawyers
The lawyers at Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader know that recovery from air disasters requires experience. When representing a client or a family after a private plane or helicopter accident, our aviation disaster lawyers devote time and resources and have the experience to achieve the best possible result.
For more than 40 years, the attorneys at BFRR have successfully represented some of the region’s most high-profile and high-stakes cases. Although we are centrally located, we have a national impact.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury after an aviation accident, contact our personal injury lawyers today for a consultation at no cost.
The above is not intended to be legal advice. Each individual case is different and must be analyzed on its own set of facts and circumstances. If you believe you may have a case, it is critically important that you timely contact a lawyer to ensure your rights are protected.
