Shreveport Aviation Accident Lawyer

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic is expected to double over the next 20 years. This increase will undoubtedly raise the risk and frequency of airplane accidents. When airplane accidents do occur, they tend to involve more people, resulting in more fatalities and injuries, and consist of extensive squabbling over insurance issues. 

The good news is that non-fatal crashes involving aircraft are more frequent than catastrophic accidents or explosions. However, assigning liability in these cases is often significantly more complex than it appears at first glance. When airplane accidents do occur, they devastate the families of pilots, crews, and passengers alike. 

These families need help from an aviation accident attorney in order to identify responsible parties and hold them accountable for negligence. At Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, we’re here to provide the much-needed legal assistance for Louisianians involved in airplane accidents.

Why Legal Experience Matters in Airplane Accidents

In order to hold a party responsible for an airplane accident, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant failed to meet the legal standard of operating the aircraft. This can be related to engineering, maintenance, or other operational issues or standards.

As mentioned above, airplane crashes can be extremely complex. Many different theories of legal liability exist under Louisiana state, federal, and international law. Plus, multiple defendants and at-fault parties are usually involved in a single airline/airplane accident

The trusted team of airplane accident attorneys at our firm can identify the best route for your case. By building you a strong case, we can also help you gain the best and most compensation possible. 

Aviation Accident Cases Gordon McKernan Can Help With

At our firm, we’ve represented clients injured in a range of aviation incidents. If you’re considering legal action after experiencing an airplane accident, our aviation accident attorneys can represent you in a range of aircraft incidents, such as:

• Helicopter crashes
• Commercial aircraft accidents
• Mid-air collisions
• Air ambulance crashes
• Aviation accidents due to defective parts or faulty maintenance
• Plus others

Call us to schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers if you or a loved one has injuries from an airplane accident. You can have peace of mind knowing we’ll assist you in determining your legal choices.

What Are Common Causes of Airplane Crashes?

Pilots fly many times each week, and although the airlines take as many precautions as possible, mistakes can have serious repercussions. 

Every year, many people are hurt and even killed in airplane accidents. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), over 1,500 airplane accidents occurred in 2016. The reason for airplane accidents can be wide-ranging, but some common causes include:

• Pilot error or mistake
• Negligence of Flight Service Station employees
• Faulty airplane equipment or maintenance
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations violations
• Structural or design defects or problems
• Negligence in a third party’s selection of a carrier
• Negligence of Federal Air Traffic Controllers

What Happens to Someone in an Airplane Accident?

Airplane mishaps can end in catastrophic injuries or wrongful death due to their weight, size, speed, and the height they fly above the ground. If you lost someone in an airplane accident, you must file a wrongful death claim with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys.

What happens to someone in an airplane crash can indeed be life-changing. Some common airplane catastrophic injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can cause headaches, memory loss, difficulty thinking or concentrating, impairment of motor abilities, and other significant, long-term effects. 
• Severe Burns
• Spinal cord injuries can result in muscle weakness or numbness (paresis), partial paralysis (paraplegia), total paralysis (quadriplegia), or other life-altering consequences. Unfortunately, such injuries are often permanent, but with good medical care, there is a potential for a partial or full recovery.
• Dismemberment, like losing one or more limbs, is common in severe airplane crash accidents. 
• Internal injuries to organs or other deep tissue can turn into transplants or permanent loss of the injured organ.

How Do I File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

Dealing with the loss of a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence or carelessness is difficult. The trauma of wrongful death accidents puts the victim’s family in shock, extreme grief, and other terrible feelings that are difficult to process.

We understand that nothing can make up for such a horrific loss, but we want to be a legal resource while you consider your “next steps” and options. To file a wrongful death lawsuit in Louisiana, you should do the following:

First: It’s important to note that in Louisiana, wrongful death claims can only be filed by a limited number of people. The following victims’ survivors are entitled to file:

• The surviving spouse and/or children of the deceased or
• If both spouse and children are dead, the surviving parents of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, and parents are dead, the surviving siblings of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, parents, and siblings are deceased, the surviving grandparents of the deceased

FYI: All of the above relations also include those relations by adoption.

Next: Make sure you submit the claim within the permitted timeframe following the wrongful death accident since Louisiana has a strict statute of limitations on bringing a wrongful death claim to court.

Last: Call a Shreveport Wrongful Death Lawyer from Gordon Mckernan Injury Attorneys who can take on your claim with confidence and give you legal advice on what to do moving forward.

Statute of Limitation Changes in Louisiana

In 2024, Louisiana law extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims occurring on or after July 1, 2024, from one year to two years. Any injuries that occurred before July 1, 2024, will still have a 1-year statute of limitation. Learn more about Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations here.

• 1 year for injuries sustained before July 1, 2024.
• 2 years for injuries suffered after July 1, 2024.

The statute of limitations is a legal deadline that sets a time frame for filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this is known as the “prescriptive period,” which determines how long you have to take legal action against the responsible party after an injury occurs.

Involved in an Airplane Accident? Get Gordon!

An airplane accident can have a severe impact on your life—from debt increases to prevent you from returning to work. You deserve compensation for your damages, and Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys is here to help. Our Shreveport injury lawyers have handled numerous aviation accident cases throughout the state of Louisiana. If you would like to schedule a free consultation, please call us at 225.888.8888. We look forward to helping you obtain the most compensation possible!