Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers Discuss Airplane Accidents and Injury Claims

According to the Federal Aviation Administration , air travel is expected to double over the next 20 years. As plane traffic increases, so will risks for pilots and passengers to become victims of aviation accidents.

Travel by air is generally considered to be a safe means of transportation, but when accidents do occur they often result in deaths. Smaller, less serious accidents involving private aircraft are more frequent than large passenger aircraft. Our staff of personal injury lawyers includes a licensed pilot who is familiar with the duties of piloting small aircraft, and we have represented victims suffering serious personal injuries in airplane crashes.

Potentially liable (i.e., legally responsible) and negligent parties vary depending on the cause of the aircraft accident. The owner and operator of the aircraft certainly may be liable; manufacturers or maintenance suppliers may be liable in certain circumstances; even the federal government can have some responsibility in an aircraft accident or aircraft collision.

Airplane/aircraft accidents often lead to serious injury and catastrophic death. In many cases, FAA and NTSB investigators simply attribute liability to airplane crashes to pilot error, or hazardous weather conditions. However, an aviation accident can often be attributed to the negligence of multiple responsible parties. We are airplane crash lawyers who know what and where to search for the evidence regarding negligence and incompetence that can cause the aviation accidental injury you or a family member has suffered.

We want to make sure that air travel and flying is a safe, enjoyable hobby, and safe means of transportation. One of our lawyers is a pilot, and his knowledge of piloting assists with aviation/airplane crash case investigations. Back up your aviation accident lawsuit with our experience, reputation, and extensive knowledge relating to personal injury law and piloting duties.

Aviation accidents and airplane crashes are subject to a wide range of laws, treaties, and regulations, and it takes dedicated, experienced counsel to successfully handle an aviation case. Our personal injury lawyers have the experience and specialized knowledge to represent individuals and families who have suffered some type of loss in an airplane accident, or other serious aviation mishap like an airplane crash, helicopter crash or aircraft accident. Serious injuries can arise from all types of accidents. In cases involving death/fatalities, the families of a person killed can file a wrongful death claim under state laws, whether this occurs in Virginia or any other state.

Aviation/airplane accidents and death claims may involve the following:

• aircraft component malfunction

• power failure

• jet engine and turbine malfunction

• propeller defects

• avionics

• approach problems

• airport negligence

• airport environment obstructions

• air traffic control

• fixed base operator (FBO)

• maintenance problems

• airframe and power plant (A&P)

• spatial disorientation

• visual flight rules violations

• instrument flight rules violations

• instrument meteorological conditions

• power line and telephone wire strikes

In order to prove negligence in a airplane/aircraft case, it is crucial to have personal injury attorneys/lawyers that have both knowledge of the field and real trial experience and one of our lawyers is himself a licensed pilot. The Virgina/Carolina Law Firm of Shapiro, Lewis and Appleton routinely confer with some of the foremost medical experts in the country on behalf of their clients, and have a long and distinguished history of taking cases to trial with successful results. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a airplane/airline accidental injury, please send us a quick contact form or call us toll free for a free consultation today.

Airplane Accidents and Injuries Resource Links

The Department of Transportation Aviation Consumer Protection Division

The Federal Aviation Administration

The National Transportation Board

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Viriginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases for victims of mass transit accidents such as airplane, train and bus crashes. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in a plane wreck.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA including Suffolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Norfolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive.

Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, ours was the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA mass transit injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can respond directly to you.