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If you or a loved one has been in an airplane accident, get a free consultation from our aviation accident attorney. With over $980 Million recovered for our clients, we can help you get the compensation you deserve.
We are an Award-Winning Plane Crash Law Firm
Our personal injury law firm specializes in plane accidents, wrongful death, and serious injury cases. Our aviation accident attorneys understand the technical, regulatory, and factual complexities unique to aircraft crashes and have experience handling high-stakes aviation litigation.
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed in a plane crash, talk to an aviation accident attorney today to learn how we can help you during this very difficult time.
What Should You Do If You Are in an Airplane Crash?
At the Aviation Accident
If you are involved in an accident, move away from the wreckage. Try to help other victims and call 911 if you have phone service.
While plane crashes are terrifying, try to observe and remember the details. Any detail may prove important, be it strange background noises, a sudden change in the weather, or some other seemingly trivial event.
If you can do so safely, take photos and record videos of the crash site and any injuries. Critical evidence in aviation cases can be lost or destroyed quickly, so acting promptly helps preserve physical evidence, maintenance records, flight data, and witness accounts. This will provide a visual record to help investigators determine the accident’s cause.
After Aviation Accident
Before speaking with the insurance company or investigators, you should first talk to an aviation accident attorney. Statements given too early, or documents such as waivers signed with tour operators or charter companies, may be used to limit or deny your claim if not properly reviewed by an attorney. Anything you say or do may be used against you in court by opposing attorneys. Multiple parties may be liable for your pain and suffering, but each has a legal team seeking to minimize their client’s liability for the accident.
How Our Airplane Accident Lawyer Handle Your Case
After the first free consultation, we immediately begin proceeding with your case, taking measures to preserve your rights and ensure you receive all compensation you are entitled to from all liable parties. This includes working with federal, state, and local agencies, reviewing official accident reports, and coordinating with aviation authorities to secure critical records and evidence.
Step 1: Investigate Your Claim
When necessary, independent aviation and engineering experts may be consulted to analyze mechanical failures, pilot conduct, maintenance records, and regulatory compliance.
Our team of experts investigates all the details of the case, collecting evidence and researching every available piece of information. We are thorough because we know every detail can majorly impact the litigation’s course.
Step 2: Reconstruct the Accident
Accident reconstruction may involve analyzing flight data recorders, cockpit voice recordings, radar data, maintenance logs, and air traffic control communications. We review all the information you provide and contact other parties involved in the aviation accident to obtain as much information as possible on the events leading up to the incident.
Step 3: Determine Liability
A highly skilled aviation accident lawyer will determine all parties liable for the accident and quickly take all necessary steps to ensure that the responsible parties are notified and held accountable for their error or negligence.
Step 4: Fight For Compensation
Our experienced team estimates your damages and seeks compensation for your present and future pain and suffering. This may include compensation for current and future medical care, lost income and earning capacity, emotional distress, long-term disability, and, where applicable, wrongful death damages for surviving family members. Airplane accidents can lead to huge medical bills, funeral expenses, lost income and earning potential, loss of support, emotional distress, and other damages.
We work to see that you get everything you deserve for your loss.
Types of Damage for Financial Compensation
The damages available in a wrongful death aviation case can differ from those in a personal injury claim, including loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and funeral and burial expenses. According to California law, if a member of your family was injured or killed due to a plane crash, you are entitled to financial compensation.
Some of the compensation you may be eligible for includes:
- Lifelong loss of income
- Emotional distress
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Why You Need a Plane Crash Lawyer
Although airplane crashes are rare, when they do happen, the results are devastating. Aviation accident cases are especially complex because they often involve overlapping state, federal, and sometimes international laws, making experienced legal representation critical. Aviation litigation is complex, and managing an airplane accident case alone is hard. Unlike routine accident claims, aviation cases often involve technical aircraft systems, federal regulations, and multiple corporate defendants, requiring a higher level of legal and investigative resources.
You need highly experienced aviation accident lawyers to sue airlines and protect your rights to just compensation. Unlike general personal injury cases, aviation claims require familiarity with specialized aviation regulations, industry standards, and investigative procedures that many firms are not equipped to handle.
Investigators may contact you
After you or a loved one have been involved in an airplane crash, federal agencies, investigators, or other parties may contact you for information about the accident. Accident investigations are important in determining the cause and the responsible parties. Anything you say will be used in any litigation or settlement, so it is in your best interests to consult an airplane accident lawyer before providing any statement about the accident.
Different Rules for Commercial Plane, Private Plane, and Military Plane Accidents
The rules and regulations that apply to commercial, private, and military plane accidents are quite different. An aviation accident attorney qualified to represent such cases should handle them.
At Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis, Larsen & Lucey, our attorneys will provide you with knowledgeable, aggressive legal representation and precise legal advice during the entirety of your case.
How Much Compensation Can Be Claimed After a Plane Crash
Strict deadlines apply to aviation accident claims, and in many California cases you may have as little as two years—or less if a government entity is involved—to take legal action. In 1958, the Federal Aviation Act and Regulations were enacted to establish essential safety standards for airplanes, including those regarding their manufacturing, flight operation, and pilot behavior.
In most cases, airlines are allowed to place a tariff on airline passengers, which limits the amount that they may sue for in the event of an accident or injury to up to $75,000. With the representation of an experienced lawyer with knowledge of Federal Aviation Law, and if it can be proved that the airline was intentionally negligent, you may recover more than $75,000 in damages.
Different Classes of Aviation Claims
Different sectors of aviation each have different specific regulations and standards that may affect your case and your possible compensation. An airplane crash lawyer will know these rules and what steps to take in your aviation accident case.
Commercial Aviation Accidents
A commercial aviation accident involves a plane providing passengers and/or freight air transport services. Commercial flights fall under the legal definition of a “common carrier” and must adhere to stricter standards than other flights.
In cases involving commercial airline crashes, a deep understanding of complex FAA rules and regulations is necessary. GJEL aviation accident attorneys have extensive experience dealing with commercial accident cases and can make sure your case is handled appropriately.
General Aviation Accidents
General aviation accidents involve charter planes, private jets, and private plane crashes. Because pilots are little regulated, charter plane accidents often involve pilot error.
An experienced charter plane accident attorney knows how to handle these cases and who to hold liable. If you’ve been in a private plane accident, a GJEL private plane accident attorney can help.
Airport Accidents Accidents
You may be injured at the airport before your plane takes off due to poor equipment and shoddy airport terminal maintenance. Slips and falls while boarding a plane can lead to serious, life-changing accidents. An airplane injury attorney will know who is liable for these accidents.
Helicopter Accidents
The top reason for helicopter accidents is mechanical malfunction. Helicopter components and controls are complex, and while an airplane can fly on one engine or even glide into a landing, a helicopter with a dead rotor engine will fall from the sky like a stone. These failures often result in serious injuries and wrongful deaths.
In-flight Aviation Accidents
Unexpected turbulence can lead to passengers being injured during a flight, as can luggage falling from overhead bins or altercations with an unruly passenger. An airplane injury lawyer can help you recover medical costs, lost wages, and other damage claims.
State and Federal Law May Apply
If the accident involved a government-operated aircraft, airport authority, air traffic control error, or other public entity, special rules and shorter filing deadlines may apply, making early legal guidance especially important.
An airplane accident will often involve state, federal, or even international law. While federal law regulates support for the families of those injured in American airplane crashes, other regulations may come into play and influence your final compensation. You will need a California plane crash attorney if you live in California.
Common Plane Crash Reasons
Before determining who is liable for an aviation accident and who will pay compensation, we must first determine the cause of the plane crash. California follows comparative fault rules, meaning multiple parties may share responsibility and your compensation may be affected by how fault is allocated.
Plane crashes may be caused by a variety of reasons, such as:
Pilot errors
Pilot errors are still the top reason for aviation accidents. Flying a plane is a delicate affair; even a small mistake can have enormous consequences. Making the wrong or right decision too late can have life-changing consequences for everybody who is unfortunate enough to be involved in the subsequent crash.
Weather conditions
Wing icing due to snowstorms, downdrafts caused by thunderstorms, and heavy fog that limits visibility are some weather conditions that can lead to accidents. Pilots, air traffic controllers, and ground crew members are responsible for reporting hazardous weather conditions immediately and for taking steps to avoid catastrophes.
Sabotage
An aviation accident may happen due to sabotage by terrorists or a disgruntled employee. While saboteurs typically have few assets to compensate victims, parties that fail to detect the sabotage ahead of time or are government complicit in the attack may be held liable and have their assets seized to make survivors and their families whole.
Mechanical failure
Modern airplanes are remarkable engineering works, but they have many failure points. Electrical failures, engine malfunctions, and jammed landing gear are just a few of the things that can go wrong. In this situation, liability may rest with the manufacturer or a negligent ground crew failing to spot problems or provide required maintenance.
Defective design
Poorly designed airplane parts may pass numerous inspections yet fail in flight. If an aviation accident is caused by a failure of a faulty component or device, the doctrine of strict liability holds the company that produced the defective item liable for any injury or loss of life, whether or not negligence or malfeasance is involved.
Contact GJEL for Airplane Crash Verdicts & Settlements
GJEL has handled many wrongful deaths and serious injury cases that resulted from airplane crashes. Since 1971, we have recovered over 10 Million Dollars for clients who have been seriously injured or killed in airplane accidents. Decades of handling aviation-related injury and wrongful death cases provide institutional knowledge that can be critical when confronting airlines, manufacturers, and insurers.
We invite you to call 1-855-508-9565 or email lawfirm@gjel.com to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney at GJEL if you or a loved one has been injured in an aviation accident. We provide free consultations, and we’re paid only when we win your claim. Case-related costs such as expert analysis, investigation, and litigation expenses are typically advanced during the case and addressed only if compensation is recovered. You do not pay any upfront legal fees, and you owe nothing unless a settlement or verdict is obtained on your behalf. You’ll pay no fees if we don’t obtain a verdict or settlement for you.
Please visit the Contact Us page to find our nearest local office.
If you or someone you know suffered from a plane crash, contact GJEL’s airplane accident attorney today at 1-866-292-9907 for a free, no-obligation case review.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin is a founding partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has practiced personal injury law in California state and federal courts since 1970. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and co-founded GJEL in 1972. Over the course of his career, Andy has helped hundreds of injured plaintiffs recover compensation, including multiple seven-figure settlements and verdicts. He specializes in serious injury and wrongful death cases and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, with recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
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