Attorneys Handling Aircraft Accident Claims

Why Aircraft Accident Claims are Different

Between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration reported 95 Alaska Aircraft Accidents. This was an increase from 87 accidents during the same period from 2016 to 2017. Also negatively, the number of fatal aircraft accidents—or at least those with serious injuries—rose from 15 to 17 during that same period. Alaska’s accident rate for aircrafts is more than double that of the rest of the United States.Indeed, between 2004 and 2008, the accident rate for Alaska was 13.59 mishaps for every 100,000 flying hours, while that number for the United States as a whole was 5.85 accidents per 100,000 flying hours.

As injuries from aircraft accidents are likely to be more severe than in an auto accident, the rules differ in some important ways. First, aircraft accidents offer more possible defendants, such as (i) the pilot, who may have been negligent in flying the plane or helicopter—what becomes known as "pilot error"; (ii) the owner of the aircraft, perhaps a major commercial airline, that may have failed to properly maintain the craft, properly train pilots, or other reasons; (iii) the maintenance company that failed to perform the adequate tests and upkeep to make sure the aircraft was in working order; and/or (iv) the manufacturer of the craft, who failed in their attempt to build a safe machine, failed to provide adequate information to operators to afford passengers a safe flight, or other reasons.

You only have two (2) years to file this claim. Findings from an investigative board may take far longer. So what do you do to protect your rights? The answer is to sue anyone that there may be a good faith basis to bring a claim against.

In addition, the causes of Alaska Aircraft Accidents may be technical and difficult to explain to a judge or juror without an aeronautic education. As such, an attorney that can either provide the pay person an explanation or retain an expert witness to do so is crucial to your success is such a claim.

Finding the Best Anchorage Alaska Attorneys

In a more general sense, there are some rules for your personal injury claims that Best Anchorage Alaska Attorneys will make sure you follow. They include, but are certainly not limited to (i) your failure to file your personal injury lawsuit within two (2) years from the date of your accident will likely lead to the granting of a motion to dismiss your claim, rendering you forever barred from recovering any money; (ii) if a judge or jury awards you any monies at trial, they are likely to be reduced by the amount of fault a judge or jury assigns to you, a theory known as "comparative negligence"; (iii) automobile operators are required to have insurance coverage not less than $50,000 in bodily injury per accident, $100,000 in bodily injury for all people in the accident and $50,000 for property damage.

The Best Anchorage Alaska Attorneys will also be familiar with rules that apply to most negligence claims, including those arising out of (a) product-related injuries, (b) wrongful death cases, (c) slips and falls, (d) auto accidents, (e) maritime accidents, (f) trucking accidents, (g) motorcycle accidents, and (h) bicycle accidents. These skilled advocators will also know how serious and catastrophic incidents such as medical malpractice, insurance bad faith claims and police brutality matters have differing rules, too.

Based on the above, the importance of retaining the Best Anchorage Alaska Attorneys is clear. If you use an inexperienced attorney without this knowledge—or try to handle personal injury claims on your own—you are likely to miss one or more of these rules, resulting in the failure to be compensated for your injuries. Indeed, no matter how strong a case regarding Alaska Aircraft Accidents may be, the use of an inexperienced attorney or one not familiar with the rules and regulations of the specific laws of Alaska may lead to the same negative result.

If you want to consult the Best Lawyers In Anchorage, Alaska, the author of this article suggests Crowson Law Group.