Our Wrongful Death Attorney in Mokena on Airplane Accidents

Statistically, depending on the type of plane you’re in, it is safer to travel in an airplane than in your automobile, when you measure by a “per-mile traveled” basis. However, when an aviation accident occurs, it usually involves more people and causes substantial property damage as well as more serious injuries and fatalities.

Additionally, assigning liability for the crash can be an extremely complex issue, and wrangling over causes and insurance claims can stretch on for months, even years. Complicating matters further, depending on where, and under what circumstances, a plane crash occurred, different rules, regulations and laws can apply. Various regulatory agencies, airline or charter company personnel, maintenance crews, air-traffic controllers and manufacturers can all be implicated in an accident.

Given these many potential complications, if you or a family member has been injured or lost a loved one in an aviation accident, we highly recommend that you seek the assistance of an experienced, wrongful death lawyer in Mokena. Reaching out to the law office of Block, Klukas, Manzella & Shell, P.C. is the best way for you to determine which parties are liable for the accident, file a wrongful death claim or an injury law claim, and receive fair compensation for your damages.

What Qualifies as an Aviation Accident

You may not realize it, but there is a legal definition of exactly what qualifies as an aviation accident. The term “aviation accident” is strictly defined in Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, accepted by aviation authorities in the U.S. and around the world.

According to the Annex 13 definition, an aviation accident occurs when a person is injured or dies on an aircraft between boarding and disembarking, or when the aircraft is missing. Exceptions include self-inflicted injuries, injuries inflicted by other persons, or injury or death from natural causes.

Aviation Accident Statistics

In the United States, the vast majority of aviation accidents, injuries, and deaths are listed under general aviation. That term applies to all aircraft except military or commercial airlines, and in 2019 there were 987 non-fatal and 233 fatal accidents in the general aviation sector in this country. In contrast, worldwide in 2019, there were 86 accidents involving commercial airliners, and eight of these involved fatalities.

Types of Aviation Accidents

The statistics alone do not tell the entire story. In addition to the very rare crashes involving commercial airliners, there are other types of aviation accidents, including the following:

  • Air ambulance crashes – Air ambulances have been patrolling the skies since World War I. Today’s flying intensive care units include both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and are used most often when a patient urgently needs specialized treatment and care. Obviously, the operators of air ambulances work under extreme pressure, and unfortunately over the past decade, air ambulance accidents have been on the rise. For example, the air ambulance helicopter crash rate increased from 0.54 per 100,000 in 2016 to 0.72 in 2018.

  • Charter plane crashes – Charter planes are basically air taxis for hire, and while most are operated by companies, independent owners/pilots can work as charter operators as well. Technically, charter operators are held to a high standard of safety, but in reality they’re not as effectively regulated as commercial airlines. Additionally, charter pilots may be forced to fly longer hours and have tighter and more exhausting schedules than pilots flying for the well-established commercial airlines.
  • Private plane crashes – Although statistically speaking, when all types of aircraft are considered, you’re safer in one of them than in your automobile.However, the picture changes considerably when you consider only private aircraft. In fact, according to a number of recent studies, including statistics compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board, you are 200 times more likely to die flying in a private plane than on a commercial airliner, and stepping onto that private plane is 20 times more dangerous than getting behind the wheel of your car.

Part of the explanation for this disparity is that training for private pilots is not nearly as vigorous as that for their commercial counterparts, and private pilots often fly to more remote, exotic areas, while commercial airlines stick to the major highways of the sky.

Personal Injury Lawyers in Mokena

If you, or a member of your family, has suffered property damage, injury, or the loss of a loved one due to any type of aviation accident, it is essential for you to seek the assistance of an experienced aviation accident attorney. Do not simply sign off on the first offer the insurance company presents to you. They will often offer less than you are entitled to.

The attorneys at Block, Klukas, Manzella & Shell, P.C. welcome the opportunity to work with you in seeking the compensation you deserve. We urge you to contact your law firm online or give us a call at 815-726-9999 or 1-888-BLOCK LAW to schedule your initial, free consultation. Together, we’ll strategize your best legal options moving forward.