Many Alaskans rely on travel by aircraft. Tourists, fishermen, and people with business interests in Alaska also frequently rely on airplanes to travel to their destinations.
While advances in aviation technology have improved the safety of small airplanes, travel by small plane still has its dangers. To complicate things further, many aviation accidents are caused by pilot errors, mechanic errors, and airline errors.
Tragically, aviation errors frequently cause serious or fatal injuries to passengers. If you or a loved one has been injured in this way, contact an anchorage aviation accident lawyer at Libbey Law Offices. Our dedicated personal injury attorneys have represented clients throughout Alaska in aviation accident claims.
Establishing Fault for an Anchorage Airplane Accident
The principles of legal negligence apply to air travel just as much as they do to traveling by land or by sea. If someone owes another person a duty to act responsibly, fails to fulfill that duty, and directly causes an accident resulting in physical injury, they could be held financially accountable for any resulting losses. An Anchorage attorney could help someone determine who was at fault for an aviation wreck.
Various individuals and entities could be found at fault for an aviation crash based on the events that led up to a particular incident occurring. For example, a collision that occurs while taxiing onto or off of a runway could be the fault of a reckless or careless air traffic controller. A mid-flight mechanical failure could stem from negligence by a manufacturer that produced faulty parts, or by a mechanic who did not perform proper maintenance.
Recoverable Damages Through a Successful Claim
A person who gets hurt in an airplane crash caused by someone else’s negligence has the right to demand financial compensation for the harms and losses they suffer. Recoverable damages may be both economic (loss of past and future earnings) and non-economic (pain and suffering damages) in nature.
Specific losses that an aviation wreck could help factor into a comprehensive claim include:
- Emergency medical expenses
- Costs of future medical care
- Lost work income
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Personal property damage
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional/psychological trauma
- Lost quality of life from long-term injuries
If an airplane crash has fatal consequences, the executor of a decedent’s estate may pursue compensation on behalf of the surviving family members. This compensation would be for damages sustained as a direct consequence of their loved one’s premature death.
As a qualified attorney could explain in further detail, wrongful death losses in an airplane crash in or around Anchorage may include compensation for medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, lost financial support, future earning capacity losses, inheritance, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium/companionship.
Put Our Experience to Work for You
Aviation accident claims are challenging to investigate because of the highly technical engineering issues and forensic evidence they involve and the often-remote location of the accident scene. To secure the compensation you are entitled to, it is critical that you have an attorney on your side who knows how to effectively investigate the cause of personal aviation accidents and build a strong case on your behalf.
Our Anchorage attorneys have handled death and catastrophic injury aviation accident claims. In our experience, aviation accidents are often the result of pilot errors, but there have been cases where a defective product played a role in the accident. If a defective product played a role in your aviation accident, we could put our experience handling product liability claims to work for you. Frequent causes of aviation accidents include inadequate fuel, maintenance issues, and violations of safety protocols.
An Anchorage Aviation Accident Attorney Only Collects if You Do
If you need to speak with an attorney about an aviation accident, we encourage you to contact our law office for a free consultation and case evaluation. We can help you determine if you have a basis to pursue compensation. We will provide a candid assessment of your case so you can make an informed decision that is in your best interests. Anchorage aviation accident lawyers handle all personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no fees to us unless we obtain compensation for you.