Airplane Accidents: Understanding Your Rights and Pursuing Compensation

Statistically speaking, airplanes are one of the safest methods of transportation and significantly safer than passenger cars. However, that doesn’t mean airplane accidents don’t happen. Plane crashes and other aircraft accidents injure people every year, and airlines and aircraft companies are responsible for their negligent practices that caused harm.

If you have sustained an injury while on a plane or or while boarding or disembarking, you may have the right to recover financial compensation from liable entities. It’s imperative you understand your rights and legal options for recovering damages.

Types of Airplane Accidents

Crashes are the most severe type of airplane accident and often result in death or significant injury, whether it’s a commercial airline, private charter jet, or a hobbyist personal aircraft. However, crashes are not the only type of airplane accident. Other types of plane accidents include:

• Injuries from falling luggage
• Slip and falls on the tarmac or inside the terminal or plane while boarding
• Aircraft equipment malfunctions (e.g., seatbelts)
• Food cart collisions
• Passengers hitting cabin walls and ceiling during turbulence
• Food poisoning and allergic reactions
• Asphyxiation and cabin depressurization

Liability in Airplane Accidents

Accident victims have the right to pursue any parties who played a role in the events that caused their injuries. Liability for an airplane accident can fall on many entities, including:

• Airlines – Generally speaking, airlines are responsible for injuries their passengers sustain due to negligence in aircraft operation, maintenance, or management.
• Aircraft Pilots – Pilots may be responsible for injuries due to improper aircraft operations, such as flying a plane while drunk or on drugs.
• Maintenance Crews – Maintenance crews can be liable if they fail to provide proper service.

In most airplane accident cases, whether or not a specific entity is liable depends on whether their negligence caused injuries. For example, if falling luggage injures someone during a flight, the airline could be liable for negligence if the crew failed to properly check and secure in-flight luggage.

Jaroslawicz & Jaros, PLLC: Protecting Injury Victims Since 1980

If you have sustained an injury in an airplane accident, you need an attorney familiar with these areas of aviation law and with a track record of holding large companies responsible. Contact Jaroslawicz & Jaros, PLLC, online or reach out by phone to speak to an airplane accident attorney serving New York City.