Orange County Plane Crash Attorney

When serious personal injury or death results from the crash of either commercial or private aircraftairplane (or helicopters), Aitken * Aitken * Cohn has the extensive experience and knowledge necessary to aggressively and independently investigate the cause and to obtain the greatest cooperation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its concurrent investigation. The Orange County plane crash lawyers at Aitken * Aitken * Cohn will capitalize on the insight and expertise of the best known legal experts and investigators in the American aviation industry to help you with your case. Whether by trial or settlement of an airplane crash lawsuit, our Orange County personal injury attorneys have obtained outstanding results in numerous airplanes and helicopter crash cases.

The challenges posed by aviation law

Accidents involving airplanes and helicopters are subject to a complex set of laws that make it very difficult for survivors and family members of victims to pursue compensation. An experienced Orange County plane crash lawyer will have extensive knowledge of aviation law.

There are various agencies involved in a plane crash investigation. This includes local, state, as well as federal authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA). A plane crash attorney will have to work with all of these agencies while also conducting an independent investigation of the incident to uncover evidence that may have been missed.

Who is liable in a plane crash?

In all personal injury cases, proving liability for the incident is vitally important. When a plane crash occurs, there are many different parties that may be liable for the incident. An investigation may uncover one or more of these parties being at fault:

  • Commercial airline
  • Private airline
  • Manufacturer of the airplane or helicopter
  • Manufacturer of parts of the airplane or helicopter
  • Federal government agencies, including the FFA
  • Pilot
  • Maintenance personnel

What kind of compensation is available in these cases?

There are various types of compensation available for the victim of an Orange County plane accident. This includes both economic and non-economic damages. Survivors of a plane crash could be entitled to the following:

  • Coverage of their medical bills
  • Compensation for lost income if they cannot work
  • Pain and suffering damages
  • Loss of enjoyment of life damages

Family members of those who have been killed any plane crash may be able to recover the following in a wrongful death claim:

  • Funeral and burial expenses
  • Loss of future income and benefits of the deceased
  • Cost of pre-death medical expenses
  • Pain and suffering damages
  • Loss of companionship damages

For personal injury and wrongful death claims in a plane accident, punitive damages may be awarded in cases where the liable party is found grossly negligent, or if their actions were intentional.

The total amount of compensation awarded in these cases depends on a variety of factors, and your Orange County plane accident lawyer will work to properly calculate your damages.

How long do you have to file a lawsuit?

As in all personal injury and wrongful death cases, the state of California has placed a statute of limitations (deadline) that limit the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, you may lose the opportunity to recover compensation for what has happened.

Personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of the accident that caused the injuries. Wrongful death claims must be filed within two years from the date of a person’s death.

Work with your Orange County plane accident attorney to ensure that you meet all of the deadlines in your case so that you can secure the maximum compensation available.

How much does an aviation attorney cost?

Many people worry about how they will afford an attorney after a tragic accident like a plane crash. At Aitken * Aitken * Cohn, we take these cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you will face no upfront legal costs of out-of-pocket costs while your case is ongoing. Our legal fees are directly tied to our success in securing the compensation you deserve. We will not get paid until we are successful with your case.

We have a track record of success

By way of example, the firm obtained a $2.76 million result after the jury verdict in the case of “Contaminated Fuel Clogs Fuel Line Resulting In Crash Of Small Plane (1994)”. In that case, an aggressive investigation uncovered that the defendant was covering up unsafe aviation maintenance and fueling practices which led to contaminated fuel clogging the airplane’s main fuel valve, leading to fuel starvation and as a result, the airplane crashed shortly after takeoff. Even after the evidence of unsafe maintenance and fueling practices was uncovered, the defendant hired experts who testified that the airplane crash was due solely to pilot error. On behalf of the client, Aitken * Aitken * Cohn presented highly credentialed expert testimonies on the issues of pilot error, aircraft maintenance, unsafe aviation fueling practices, and metallurgy to counter the insurance company’s well-funded defense.

Other examples of the firm’s success in airplane and helicopter crash litigation include:

  • The wrongful death claims of family members of a man killed in an airplane crash in Lake Perris,
  • The wrongful death claims in California involving a plane full of parachute jumpers;
  • The wrongful death claims of the family of a small plane pilot who crashed in a mountainous region of Mexico;
  • The wrongful death claim of the family of a pilot of a small rented aircraft in Sacramento, California;
  • The wrongful death claims of the heirs of individuals killed in a crash in a Sikorsky Helicopter.

Contact our Orange County Plane Crash Attorney

To learn more about filing an injury or wrongful death claim following a plane crash or aviation accident, please contact our attorneys today.