Airplanes have undoubtedly become much safer over the last 50 years. Most of us don’t think twice when boarding a commercial airplane. Even those that might be inclined to give the safety of traveling by plane that second thought usually push it away. Travel by airplane is frequently required for work these days in the global world that we live in. If not for work, then most people find it is the fastest way to get to that vacation destination that you have been waiting for all year.
Each day in the United States, there are close to 90,000 flights carrying people and cargo from one side of the country to the other at speeds of up to 600 miles per hour. Of those 90,000 or so flights though, only about one-third are passenger jets. The other two-thirds are cargo airplanes, military airplanes, for-hire airplanes, commuter airplanes and private airplanes. While it is true that your chances of being involved in an airplane crash are relatively small, airplane crashes do still happen. So who is held responsible for the injuries caused in am airplane accident or who is required to compensate the families in the event of an airplane fatality?
Under California law, airplane accident cases are either considered to be a personal injury case in the event of a non-fatal accident or a wrongful death case in the event of a fatal accident. In either scenario, the issue of negligence plays an important part in the case. Negligence is a legal term that essentially refers to fault or blame. If someone – a person, entity or municipality – is found to be negligent, then they are usually required to compensate any victims in the accident for injuries suffered as a result of that negligence. In the case of an airplane accident, there are numerous variables that could be the cause of the accident. Statistics tell us though, that more than half of the time mechanical failure and/or pilot error play a part in the accident. If mechanical failure played a significant part in the accident, then it may be that the manufacturer of the part that failed can be made a defendant in a lawsuit. The airline or owner of the airplane may also be included as a defendant of they did not follow proper maintenance or repair schedules. In situations where pilot error was wholly or partially to blame for the accident, the pilot as well as the company the pilot was flying for may be held liable for the accident.
According to airplane accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, as a plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit or a claimant in a wrongful death lawsuit, you are not limited to just one defendant. It may be that there are several defendants that all share in the blame (or negligence) for the airplane accident. What is important for you to understand is that if you have personally suffered damages in an airplane accident or have lost a family member in an airplane accident that you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries that you have suffered.
To find out more about what compensation you may be entitled to, contact the airplane accident law firm of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit their website at www.ledgerlaw.com
