Phoenix Charter Plane Injury Attorneys
If you survive a charter plane accident, you could face severe injuries on top of other challenges. For instance, who will take care of your children while you’re in the hospital? How can your family support itself without your income?
At Gallagher & Kennedy, our attorneys can get to work on your case immediately. We aim to recover compensation for your injury-related losses, so you can plan for the future. Our lawyers can handle all communications with the other parties, negotiate a settlement, and advocate for what you need. To begin a free consultation about working with a Phoenix charter plane injury lawyer, call now.
When to Call Our Phoenix Charter Plane Injury Attorneys?
If you suffered injuries after a charter plane incident, you should consider your legal options as soon as possible. That’s because you only have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Once this deadline expires, so does your right to seek damages through the court system.
Once you reach out to the attorneys at Gallagher & Kennedy, we can start taking steps to prepare your case. While we hope to settle your case outside of court, we prepare for litigation if your case makes it to that point.
To pursue the compensation you need, we intend to:
- Investigate the charter plane accident to identify its cause and the liable party
- Calculate the value of your damages
- Send a demand letter to the insurance provider
- Negotiate a fair settlement
- Prove negligence
- Handle all case-related communications
Our attorneys have handled many charter plane accident cases before, and we know how to conduct a proper investigation. By gathering and assessing the plane’s black box data, consultants’ testimony, and your medical records, we can assert your right to damages.
We Offer Comprehensive Legal Support on a Contingency-Fee Basis
After a charter plane accident, you could have hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Maybe even more. During this time of financial hardship, you may have worries about affording a lawyer. That doesn’t have to be a concern when you partner with our team, however.
That’s because we work on a contingency-fee-basis. In this arrangement:
- You pay nothing out of pocket for our help.
- We finance your case’s consulting, filing, and administrative costs.
- We don’t charge hourly rates or retainers.
- A portion of your settlement or court award accounts for our efforts.
You can learn more about contingency-fee-based arrangements during a free case review.
We Can Determine Liability for Your Charter Plane Accident in Phoenix
Multiple parties could have liability for your plane accident. For instance, if the pilot didn’t take proper preflight procedures, we could hold them liable for your losses.
Other liable parties in your case could include:
- An air traffic controller. Air traffic controllers monitor planes before, during, and after takeoff. If they neglect to do their jobs properly, they put lives at risk.
- An airport. Airports have many obligations when it comes to ensuring that planes come and go without problems. For instance, if an airport fails to properly keep a plane in storage, and it suffers damage that causes an accident, it could be liable.
- A mechanic. Plane mechanics must keep aircraft in working order. When they don’t, they could cause fatal accidents.
If more than one party has liability, we can hold each of them accountable. This requires gathering evidence, handling negotiations, and managing communications.
Recoverable Damages in a Phoenix Charter Plane Accident
Your charter plane accident case could have many goals. You may be personally invested in holding the negligent party responsible. If you lost a loved one, getting justice may offer a sense of closure.
Your main goal, however, is to recover damage and compensation for your injury-related losses. Those losses may comprise:
The Cost of Medical Care
Nobody walks away from a plane accident unscathed. You likely required immediate medical attention to stabilize your condition. Chances are, given the severity of these accidents, you may need medical care for the rest of your life.
Your settlement should account for those hardships.
Compensable healthcare losses include:
- Surgeries
- Medications
- Hospitalization
- Therapy
- Doctors’ visits
- Assistive devices
- In-home nursing
We fight for a settlement that accounts for your past, present, and future injury-related losses. That way, you don’t have to worry about your financial stability while you undergo treatment.
Lost Income
A charter plane crash could leave you out of work—either in the short term or permanently. Our legal team can seek compensation for your lost income while you miss work. We can also seek lost tips, benefits, bonuses, and hourly rates.
Beyond your lost income in the immediate aftermath of the accident, your condition may permanently affect your earning power into the future. Our team can evaluate your employment records to establish the difference in your earning power before and after the accident.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Your injuries could affect the enjoyment you get out of life. For example, you could have used to enjoy riding bikes, going to yoga, or gardening in your yard. Now, those hobbies might be impossible. If your enjoyment of life has decreased because of your injuries, you could include that hardship in your damages.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering compensates you for the physical pain and emotional trauma your injuries caused. We can assert the value of your pain and suffering by consulting with medical experts, getting witness testimony, and taking photos of your injuries. Our legal team can help you gather the necessary evidence that could help you prove you deserve damages.
Emotional Distress
You could recover compensation for the emotional turmoil the accident and your injuries caused. These damages compensate you for the psychological impact your injury caused on your day-to-day life.
Examples of emotional distress you could face include:
- Sleep loss
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Loss of Consortium
If your loved one passed away or has become severely incapacitated from their injuries, you could seek compensation for loss of consortium.
These are just some of the damages our legal team can help you recover. How much you can recover depends on your condition, economic damages, and overall well-being. Our charter plane accident lawyers intend to seek everything you deserve.
Steps to Take After a Charter Plane Accident
We hope that you’ve sought medical attention for your condition. This may include going to the hospital, visiting an urgent care center, or talking with your family physician. In addition to seeking medical care, it’s vital that you follow your treatment plan, whether that involves bedrest or physical therapy.
Some other considerations in the aftermath of your plane accident include:
Saving All Injury-Related Documentation
Our team can investigate your accident and gather the evidence needed to support it.
However, as your case progresses, you may also gather supporting information, such as:
- Your damage-related invoices, receipts, and bills
- Photos of your accident and injuries
- The contact information of any witnesses
- Written correspondence between yourself and the involved parties
With your permission, we can also use your medical records to bolster your case. These details offer insight into the severity of your condition and its impact on your life.
Refusing to Give a Recorded Statement
The insurance company may ask you to give an on-the-record statement about the accident. You don’t have to give one. In fact, you shouldn’t. Anything you share beyond the who, what, when, and why of what happened could jeopardize your right to damages. Let your attorney in Phoenix give the insurer the information it needs.
Entrusting Your Case to a Lawyer From Our Firm
Charter plane accident cases can quickly get complicated. You don’t want to manage the legal aftermath alone. You don’t want to spend time negotiating with insurers or juggling communications, either. That’s where Gallagher & Kennedy comes in. Our team can handle everything your case requires from beginning to end, all at no cost to you.
About Charter Plane Crashes
Charter planes are part of a highly regulated industry. The Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules and guidelines in place to control the ownership and operation of different types of aircraft. The professionals involved in maintaining and piloting charter planes must adhere to these rules, or else face the consequences of their neglect to do so. When a charter plane crashes, one of a few common issues may have occurred.
- Pilot error such as taking an improper action, making a lapse in judgment, piloting while fatigued or failing to communicate with the crew.
- Mechanical failure, including engine malfunctions, landing gear defects, structural failures, software glitches, and other product defects.
- Bad weather such as lightning, hailstorms, fog, poor visibility, and natural disasters. Bad weather paired with pilot error could lead to a charter plane crash.
- Other human error, such as mistakes made by owners, crew members, maintenance teams, air traffic controllers or intentional sabotage by terrorists.
Most of the common causes of charter plane accidents trace back to human error, negligence, incompetence, and carelessness. At Gallagher & Kennedy, we work hard to hold other people accountable for their poor decision-making and other mistakes that ultimately lead to aviation disasters. We can help you and your family uncover the truth behind who or what caused your charter plane crash.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charter Plane Accidents in Phoenix
As you explore your legal options, you may ask:
Will I Have to File a Lawsuit to Recover Compensation?
You probably don’t want to file a lawsuit to seek damages. That’s because these processes can take weeks, months, or even years. Yet, here’s some good news: most accident cases get resolved through insurance claims.
If your case requires a lawsuit, we do everything possible to build and resolve your case. What’s more, we can file your case within the appropriate statute of limitations, which dictates how long you have to sue.
As mentioned earlier, the law notes that you generally have two years from the accident date to file. Failure to adhere to this deadline could invalidate your right to damages. This deadline makes it all the more important to promptly consider your options.
What Injuries Allow Me to Seek Damages?
While many charter plane crashes result in fatalities, some people do survive. You could have significant injuries if you or a loved one survived a plane crash.
Injuries sustained in charter plane incidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): During the accident, you may have suffered a bump or jolt to the head. This can lead to cognitive impairments, serious pain, and ongoing fatigue. If you will suffer from a TBI for the rest of your life, you deserve financial recovery for that hardship.
- Burns: Depending on the degree of your burn, you could require skin grafts or other treatments, leading to significant medical bills, lost income, and other losses.
- Broken or fractured bones: While broken and fractured bones can generally heal with medical intervention, you could still have to miss work or deal with extensive medical bills.
- Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries could leave you paralyzed below the injury site, requiring assistive devices, medications, and other interventions indefinitely.
Some plane accident victims don’t survive their injuries. If you lost a loved one in a plane accident, talk to our attorneys about filing a wrongful death case.
What Are the Common Causes of Charter Plane Accidents?
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a charter plane accident could happen if:
- The pilot inadequately performs preflight procedures.
- The pilot does not submit the flight plan in a timely manner.
- The pilot does not maintain control of the aircraft and misjudges their distance or speed.
- The pilot chooses unsuitable terrain to land on.
- The plane does not receive the correct amount or type of fuel.
- A plane takes off despite poor weather conditions.
- The air traffic controller does not provide accurate instructions.
- Maintenance issues on the plane affect its performance.
If the charter plane happened because of anything involving pilot error, you could file a claim against the pilot. If the crash occurred because of mechanical issues, typically, you could file a claim against the maintenance supervisor or the plane’s owner.
Contact Our Charter Plane Injury Team Serving Phoenix Today
Shannon L. Clark, Charter Plane Injury Attorney
If you sustained injuries in a charter plane incident or crash, you could benefit from a personal injury attorney. The charter plane accident attorneys serving Phoenix from Gallagher & Kennedy have built a reputation over the last 40 years for providing quality legal services. While we have the resources and legal power to go up against high-powered insurance companies, we still treat every case with the personalized attention it needs.
Contact us today to meet with a member of our team for a free consultation. You can get in touch with us by calling (602) 530-8400
Client Testimonial
| “I wholeheartedly recommend Gallagher and Kennedy. I had the privilege of working with Shannon Clark and was impressed by his professionalism, kindness, honesty and integrity. I cant recommend him highly enough.” |
– Rachel Irvine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Gallagher & Kennedy — Phoenix Office
2575 E Camelback Rd, Suite 1100
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Tel: (602) 530-8400