Houston Aviation Accident Lawyer

If you have been hurt in a plane crash, your first move should be to talk with a Houston aviation accident attorney. A plane accident attorney may be able to help you get the compensation that you deserve and hold the party or parties that hurt you responsible for their actions. By holding them accountable for what happened to you, it may ensure that no one else gets hurt in the future.

Houston Aviation Accident Lawyer

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Leading Causes of Aviation Accidents
Most Common Aviation Accident Injuries
What to Look for From a Plane Accident Lawyer
When to Speak With a Helicopter Accident Lawyer
Building Your Aviation Accident Case
Focusing On Your Needs During the Legal Process
Securing the Compensation You’re Entitled To
Proving Negligence in an Aviation Accident Case
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Plane Crash?
Steps to Follow After an Aviation Accident
Speak to an Attorney Today

What Are the Leading Causes of Aviation Accidents?

Aviation accidents almost always occur due to the negligence of another individual or entity. Some of the most common causes include:

Pilot error

Piloting error is the most common cause of aviation accidents. Even though newer technology has provided enhanced assistance to pilots when it comes to flying the plane, it ultimately comes down to the individual responsible for ensuring the safety of the aircraft. 

Pilots should be able to respond to mechanical problems, navigate the aircraft through unexpected inclement weather or turbulence, monitor fuel levels, use the de-icing system in the plane, follow instructions from air traffic control, maintain proper speed and altitude, and more. Even one small error on the part of a pilot could lead to an airway disaster.

Mechanical error

The second leading cause of aviation accidents revolves around mechanical errors. These can occur in a few ways. Mechanical errors can happen due to an inherent flaw in the design of the aircraft or a defective mechanical part. Additionally, these errors can occur due to the negligent actions of a mechanic team if they fail to properly install or maintain the aircraft parts or the overall aircraft.

Air traffic control error

Air traffic control is one of the most stressful jobs in any field. Air traffic controllers are responsible for controlling all aircraft in the sky as well as ensuring planes get where they need to be after they land and when they need to take off. Air traffic controllers deal with dozens of aircraft at the same time, and this all comes down to making split-second decisions while taking into account factors such as equipment, weather, traffic levels, and more.

Inclement weather

Inclement weather is another common cause of accidents, and this can be unpredictable. Lightning strikes pose particularly hazardous situations for airplanes because they can lead to electrical failures or ignite fuel tanks. Other weather conditions that can lead to problems include thick fog, strong winds, or heavy storms that limit the visibility of the pilot during landing or takeoff.

What Are the Most Common Aviation Accident Injuries?

Aviation accidents can lead to a wide variety of injuries in Houston and the surrounding areas. These accidents can occur on the runway, during takeoff, during landing, as a result of a crash, or even during the flight itself. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Brain injuries. Anytime the head or body experiences a bump, below, or jolt, this can lead to a traumatic brain injury. These injuries can occur as a result of items flying around the inside of the airplane, contact with a window or other heavy object, or from the body whipping back and forth rapidly. 
• Broken or dislocated bones. Broken or dislocated bones can occur in a major collision or as a result of incidents such as slip and fall accidents on the airplane. Some of the most commonly fractured bones include hands, feet, arms, legs, and ribs.
• Spinal cord or back injuries. Aviation accidents could lead to damage to the spinal cord or the tendons, muscles, and ligaments in the back. These injuries can lead to mild pain and discomfort or partial or complete paralysis. A spinal cord injury lawyer in Houston is prepared to help you secure compensation if you suffered this type of harm in a plane crash.
• Burn injuries. If an airplane incident results in a fire as a result of fuel line issues or friction from the braking system, the fire could lead to severe burn injuries for passengers.
• Emotional and psychological trauma. Any person involved in an aircraft accident could suffer from significant emotional and psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What to Look for From a Plane Accident Lawyer

Your Houston plane accident attorney should be someone who wants to act as your advocate in the courtroom no matter how long it takes to resolve your case. As it may take months or years for your case to be resolved, you need someone who is in for the long haul. During your initial free consultation, you will learn more about how we can help and the types of compensation that you may be entitled to.

When Should You Talk With a Helicopter Accident Lawyer?

You may want to talk to a helicopter accident lawyer or a plane accident lawyer as soon as you know that your injuries were caused by the accident. Under Texas state law, you will have two years to file your case in court. While you don’t have to have the suit resolved within two years, you may give up your chance of getting compensation or other relief if you let the statute of limitations expire. When you talk with a helicopter accident attorney, you will learn more about the specific statutes of limitation in your case and how they play a role in any legal strategy developed on your behalf.

Building Your Aviation Accident Case

Aviation accident claims are a complex area of law. There will need to be extensive investigations into the incident, including investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration as well as other agencies. However, victims in these incidents cannot rely on the investigation of government agencies or the airline to help ensure that they recover compensation.

Aviation accident victims need to turn to a skilled personal injury lawyer who has an understanding of how these claims work. A lawyer will have the resources to conduct a complete investigation into the incident and liaise with every other agency conducting an investigation to obtain the information they need to proceed forward with the case.

An aviation accident attorney in Houston will partner with experts in various aviation fields to analyze every aspect of the accident. This will include reviewing flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder evidence, possibly reconstructing the accident scene, inspecting the aircraft, etc.

An attorney will also work with trusted medical and economic experts to help understand the full extent of the accident victim’s losses.

You Take Center Stage in Your Aviation Accident Case

Your attorney may advise you to take a settlement offer as it may appear to be in your best interest to do so. However, you are within your rights to reject that offer and decide to continue negotiations or go to trial. If your attorney advises that you go to trial, but you want to settle instead, that is exactly what legal counsel will pursue on your behalf. You should never feel pressured to do anything that you don’t want to or feel as if the case wasn’t resolved in your favor or with your best interest in mind.

Get the Compensation That You Are Entitled To

While there is no guarantee as to how much compensation you can get in a given case, your Houston aviation accident lawyer will make sure that you get what you are entitled to. Even if you are deemed to be responsible for your accident or for your injuries in any way, there is still a chance that you can get a percentage of the damages that you are entitled to. For instance, if you were deemed to be 10 percent responsible for your injuries, you would still get 90 percent of any eventual award. This means that if you were awarded $100,000, you would get $90,000, which could still go a long way toward securing your financial future.

How Can You Prove Negligence in an Aviation Accident Case?

There are many ways in which you could prove negligence in an aviation accident case. First, if you were in a plane piloted by someone else, your personal injury attorney in Houston may point to the fact that he or she wasn’t properly trained or wasn’t properly trained to fly the craft that you were in. It may also be possible to point to the fact that the pilot was tired or impaired while operating the craft.

It may also be possible to claim that the airplane or helicopter itself was not working properly because it hadn’t been inspected. If the plane had been inspected, it may be possible to argue that it was inspected improperly or that any replacement parts used were not meant for the craft that you were in that crashed.

By proving that another party was negligent in your case, it increases the odds that you get compensated for your medical bills, your lost wages and your lost earnings. Compensation may also be available to pay for mental or emotional pain and suffering in addition to any physical pain that you may have felt.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Houston Aviation Accident?

Just like investigating the incident, determining who can be held liable for an aviation accident in Houston can be challenging. There are various acts of negligence that could lead to an aircraft accident, and this could boil down to the negligence of one single party or multiple parties. Some of the most common liable parties after an aviation accident include:

• A pilot or copilot
• The airline or owners of the aircraft
• The manufacturers, designers, or sellers of the aircraft or aircraft parts
• Air traffic controllers or other airline staff
• An individual who rents an aircraft
• Any crew members who inspected or maintained the aircraft
• The owner of the airfield or landing pad
• Owners of any hazards that could have caused the incident (tv towers, cell towers, buildings)

What Should You Do After Being in a Houston Aviation Accident?

The number one priority after being involved in an aviation accident in Houston or the surrounding areas is to seek medical care. This is the priority no matter what. All aircraft accident victims need to seek medical treatment, even if they do not feel much pain right after the incident occurs.

The second priority must be seeking assistance from a skilled Houston aviation accident attorney who can get involved immediately and begin gathering evidence. An attorney will handle all communication with other parties involved so their client can focus on recovering from their injuries.

Speak to a Houston Aviation Accident Attorney Today

If you have been hurt in a plane or helicopter accident, you have every right to seek justice. Your first step on the path to compensation is to talk to an attorney from The Doan Law Firm. You can visit or write to us at 1 Riverway, Suite 2500 Houston, Texas 77056. You can also give our aviation and car accident attorney in Houston a call at (800) 349-0000 to review and start working on your case.