Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers helps airline passengers recover in-flight injury compensation. Call us today for a free consultation if you have:
- Been a passenger on a domestic or international flight, including flights for which tickets were bought in a foreign country
- Were injured, physically assaulted or sexually assaulted
We have been handling airline injury cases since 1990 and have recovered over $750,000,000 for our injured clients. We have vast experience in handling airline injury claims like yours and this experience will allow us to recover the most compensation possible for you.
If you can’t afford to have your airline injuries treated, we can get you to doctors who won’t charge for treatment until your case is over. Doctors do this for our airline injury clients because doctors know we get great results for our clients.
We won’t charge you any fee until and unless we recover compensation for your airplane injuries. You won’t owe us any out-of-pocket or upfront fees since we only charge a percentage of what we recover for our clients.
Call us today for a free consultation, fill out this page’s free case evaluation form or text us from this page if you or a loved one was injured, physically assaulted or sexually assaulted while on a flight.
What Happens if You Get Injured on a Flight?
Should you be injured on a flight, you should immediately tell the cabin crew. Seek medical assistance. You should assess your injury’s severity, document things by taking pictures and collecting witness information, and you should report your injury as soon as you can to the airline. You should consider contacting an airline prior to a flight should you possess a pre-existing injury which could get affected by flying.
Notify Flight Attendants
Tell the cabin crew that you have been injured as quickly as you can.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Ask your cabin crew to provide you with medical assistance as quickly as you can.
Use Medical Supplies Which Are Onboard
Should medical supplies be available, manage your injury using an onboard medical kit.
Document Your Injury
While still being in the airplane, note your injury, any possible causes and the surrounding area. Get the contact information of anyone who saw you get injured. Take pictures of the surrounding area and your injury.
Gather Witness Information
Should anyone witness your injury, obtain their contact information, since they can be a potential witness in your case.
Seek Further Medical Attention
After you land, you should consult with a healthcare provider whether you think your injury requires additional treatment or evaluation or not. Some injuries don’t show themselves for weeks or even months. It’s important to get your injury documented by a medical professional as soon as you can if you want to be able to recover financial compensation for it. Insurance companies can claim something else caused your injury and refuse to pay you should you wait too long to get an injury documented.
File an Injury Report
Ask your flight crew for the form regarding injury reports. Carefully fill this form out. Make sure to include details regarding your injury, any claims that you might make, and any treatment. Be sure to keep a copy of this report.
Contact the Airline
Tell the airline about your injury. An airline is required to provide a response to any written complaint within a 60 day period.
Contact the FAA
You can report concerns such as safety issues to the Federal Aviation Administration by calling 866-835-5322.
Consider a Lawyer
Should your injury worsen or the response from the airline not be satisfactory, consult with an airplane accident lawyer. Injury and accident claims can be complicated. Insurers usually have attorneys by their side. Airlines are typically liable for injuries which happen due to negligence, such as injuries caused by tripping over debris, falling objects or turbulence. However, just because an airline was negligent doesn’t mean you’ll get paid what you deserve. Insurance companies won’t offer you what you deserve unless you have a lawyer. Call us today for a free consultation so we can force the airline’s insurer to pay you what you deserve.
Common Causes of In-Flight Injuries
Turbulence
Most airline injuries are due to turbulence. Small altitude changes can lead to planes dropping or shaking suddenly. This can cause passengers to hit their heads, fall or trip, or get thrown from their seats. Turbulence injuries could include broken bones, twisted ankles, bruises and scrapes.
Falling Luggage
Thousands of injuries each year are caused by luggage which falls from overhead compartments. These compartments can spring open suddenly during flights because of turbulence, overloaded compartments, failure to safely store items by the cabin crew, or faulty latches. Those underneath the doors can suffer collarbone injuries, facial lacerations or broken noses. Those who get hit by heavy luggage can end up with skull fractures, concussions or traumatic brain injuries. Severe head blows can lead to extensive treatment, irreversible personality changes and memory loss, preventing victims from resuming normal life.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can happen when passengers move around airliners’ cramped confines, such as when they’re going to or from the bathroom, or even in the bathroom.
Food Carts
Drink or food carts which aren’t properly secured can roll forward, striking passengers. Uncooked or spoiled meals can lead to food poisoning. Nuts and other allergens can cause adverse reactions such as anaphylactic shock. Not providing food soon enough can lead to diabetic passengers going into diabetic comas after experiencing insulin shock or low blood sugar.
Hot Beverage Spills
Hot beverage spills can occur due to turbulence, inattentive service, passenger movements or badly designed beverage and food carts.
Assault by Other Passengers
Sometimes, passengers are assaulted by other passengers due to inadequate security provided by the airliner, or because an airliner does not have adequate training, protocols and support in order to prevent these things from occurring. This can involve physical violence or sexual assault.
Are Airlines Liable for Personal Injury?
Yes, an airline can be held liable for any personal injuries that passengers suffer should an injury occur due to their failure to exercise reasonable care. An airline has a duty to transport passengers to destinations safely.
Airlines can be held liable for things like negligence, turbulence and inadequate safety protocols. Passengers are also capable of taking legal action against an airline for accident-related damages such as property damage and wrongful death.
There is an international treaty called the Montreal Convention. It establishes liability for passenger deaths and injuries. It allows for compensation for injuries which happen during flights, such as injuries caused by defective seats, rough landings or turbulence.
The claims process regarding airline injuries can last for weeks, months or even years. It is vital to meet all deadlines which are specified by insurance policies or statutes of limitations. Our lawyers can help make sure all deadlines are met and handle every aspect of your claim for you. Call us today for a free consultation.
Airline Negligence Claims
Airlines can be held liable for injuries when they fail to exercise reasonable care or maintain their aircraft. Examples of negligence include:
- Actions such as leaving objects in aisles which cause passengers to trip
- Failing to do things such as properly latching overhead bins, leading to luggage being dumped on passengers’ heads
- Not properly training airline personnel
- Not implementing policies to protect passengers adequately
When Airlines Are Liable for Turbulence Injuries
Airlines can be held liable for turbulence-related injuries when they fail to take steps in order to mitigate turbulence risk.
Should you get injured by turbulence while you’re walking around when you shouldn’t be, meaning you were warned by the captain to remain seated with your seat belt fastened but you were walking around anyways, you will probably not be able to recover compensation for your injury.
However, what if you were injured by turbulence when no seat belt lights were on, and no instruction or warning was given? Should a flight crew be able to foresee turbulence yet not warn passengers to remain seated and fasten their seat belts, or take other precautions to protect their passengers from being injured, that airline could get held liable for injuries to passengers.
When pilots should be capable of predicting turbulence but don’t do so because of a lack of vigilance, airlines may be held liable if a passenger is injured in-flight.
Types of Compensation in Airline Injury Claims
When airlines are found liable for passenger injuries, the passengers may qualify for financial compensation for non-economic and economic damages.
How much compensation a passenger will qualify for will depend upon their injury severity, the injuries’ extent, as well as any lost wages or additional medical costs. Skilled lawyers can help injured passengers negotiate with insurance companies in order to secure fair settlements.
The financial compensation an injured passenger can qualify for may include compensation for:
Medical Expenses
If you have suffered injuries, even serious injuries, on a flight, we can help you recover compensation for necessary and reasonable medical treatment. This can include compensation for medical bills relating to things like surgeries, hospital stays, physical therapy, medication, and rehabilitation. When in-flight injuries occur, the victims sometimes need future treatment as well. When we handle personal injury claims, we help airline passengers recover compensation for all past and future medical bills related to their injuries.
Lost Wages
If an airline injury prevents a passenger from earning income or working, the passenger might qualify for financial compensation for those lost wages. We help injury victims recover compensation for lost wages when they’re hurt too badly to work or have to take time off from work to get their injuries treated.
Loss of Earning Capacity
If your injuries have caused you to suffer an impairment or disability, this could impact the ability you have to earn future income, representing a loss or reduction of your earning capacity which we can help you recover financial compensation for.
Pain and Suffering
We can help you recover financial compensation for any emotional distress or physical pain which you suffer due to your injury. This is a non-economic damage which we have over three decades of experience in accurately calculating. We will make sure you are fairly compensated for your physical pain and mental suffering.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
If your injury has a significant impact on the ability you have to enjoy activities which you have previously enjoyed, we can help you recover compensation for this.
Loss of Consortium
If you are a family member of someone injured on a flight, we can help you recover compensation for the loss of services, support or companionship of your loved one who got hurt or killed.
Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
We can help you get reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses which are related to your injury, like travel costs related to medical treatment, such as hotel accommodations which are near your specialist.
Property Damage
If any of your property was damaged due to the negligence of an airline, we can help you recover compensation for this.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, domestic flights and international flights sometimes end in tragedy. If you have lost a loved one on a flight, we can help you recover compensation that can help make sure your family doesn’t go through needless financial hardship due to the loss of your loved one. This can include compensation for your grieving and suffering as well as compensation for the loss of your loved one’s income, companionship, household services, spousal benefits and love. This can also include compensation for any pain and suffering your loved one went through prior to passing, any medical bills they incurred prior to passing, and your loved one’s funeral and burial costs.
Filing a Claim for Airline Injury Compensation
To file an airline injury claim, a passenger should:
- Contact the legal department or customer service of the airline as soon as they can following the injury
- Provide any relevant paperwork, such as medical records, injury records or additional evidence
- Make sure to follow the procedures set by the airline for filing a claim – these procedures may include supporting documents, written statements, or receiving a medical examination performed by a doctor they appoint
If you’ve been injured on a flight, seek medical assistance as quickly as you can from the cabin crew. Document your injury, potential causes and the surrounding area.
You will likely be fighting an uphill battle if you attempt to do all of the above without a lawyer, though. The airline’s insurer knows the only way you can make them pay you what you deserve is to sue them and win. They know you can’t win a lawsuit without a lawyer. If you don’t have a lawyer, the airline’s insurer is only going to offer you low ball offers.
If you are seeking compensation after an airline injury, call us for a free consultation so we can handle every step of your claim for you. All you will have to do is focus on recovering from your injuries. We won’t charge you any fee until and unless we recover money to compensate you for your airline injuries. Call us today.
Contact an Airline Injury Lawyer Today
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one got injured, were sexually assaulted or were physically assaulted while on a flight. We can help you recover compensation and we won’t charge you any fee until and unless we recover compensation for you. Call us today.