Posts Tagged ‘mechanical failure’

Proper Compensation For Your Airplane Accident Claim

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Understandably, one of the first questions that California airplane accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates gets asked by the victim of an airplane accident is “How much is my case worth?”. For those that have been injured, physically or emotionally, in an airplane accident, the question of compensation eventually becomes important. As hospital, medical and therapy bills start to add up victims begin to wonder who is responsible for them and how they will be paid. While it is impossible to place a value on an airplane accident case without specific details of the case, it is possible to explain what type of compensation you may be entitled to and under what conditions.

Before a value can be placed on your airplane accident case, a determination of negligence must be made. Negligence is basically a legal term meaning fault or blame. In order for your airplane accident case to have ANY value, someone (a person or entity) must have been negligent in the accident. Statistics tell us that as much as 75% of the time airplane accidents are caused by pilot error, mechanical failure or a combination of the two. The significance of this is that statistically speaking, there is a good chance that negligence was involved in your airplane accident. Once your airplane accident lawyer has reviewed and researched your case and made a determination of negligence, then you can begin to determine the value of your case.

Under California law, you may be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are things like medical bills, hospital bills, property damage and lost wages. These bills are usually easy to calculate and provide proof of for valuation purposes. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are much more subjective and open to debate and negotiation. Non-economic damages in the State of California can include pain and suffering, loss of use, disfigurement, disability, mental anguish, humiliation, loss of love, support and companionship and emotional distress. These damages are much more difficult to value. While they do depend to some extent on the actual physical injuries that you suffered, in airplane accidents in particular you may have suffered very serious emotional or mental damages that far exceed the physical damages that you suffered. With good reason, a victim of an airplane accident may suffer post traumatic stress disorder or a variety of other emotional injuries as a result of the accident that can affect them for the rest of their life. This is where your airplane accident lawyer comes in. It is his job to assess all of your injuries – both physical and emotional – to determine what your airplane accident case is worth. While many airplane accident cases are settled before they ever get in front of a jury, the bottom line is that your case is worth whatever you and your lawyer can convince a jury that it is worth. For that reason, selecting an experienced  airplane accident lawyer is a crucial part of determining the value of your airplane accident case.

If you would like a free detailed evaluation of your specific airplane accident case, please feel free to contact the  airplane accident firm of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit them online at www.ledgerlaw.com

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Helicopter Accident Lawyer Discusses Helicopter Accidents

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

With the increase in the number of vehicles on the roadways and the increasing need to get from one place to another in a hurry, helicopters have become a popular mode of transportation. A busy executive can get from one side of Los Angeles to the other in just minutes versus a two hour commute on the interstate. In addition, pleasure rides on helicopters have become a fun and unique way to see the coastline or the vineyards of Napa Valley in California. Unfortunately, with the increase in helicopter travel, has come an increase in helicopter accidents.

Helicopters are complex machines that can operate where no other type of aviation machine can. With the exception of super high tech military aircraft, helicopters are the only aircraft that can fly vertically. This makes them invaluable in the confines of a large city. Only a helicopter can take off and land off of the top of a high rise on downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, making room for a private helicopter pad on your property requires far less room than a private runway for even the smallest airplane. It is no wonder that we have seen an increase in helicopter travel. Sadly, when a helicopter crashes, the consequences can be tragic – even fatal.

Due to the complex nature of these incredible machines, they require an expert pilot to operate them and a regular maintenance schedule to find any potential mechanical issues that could lead to an accident. Statistics tell us that the accident rate for helicopter travel is as much as 30% higher than that for general aviation accidents. However, as in general aviation accidents, the most common cause of helicopter accidents is pilot or human error. Mechanical failure comes in as the second most common cause for helicopter accidents. Weather can play a more critical part in helicopter accidents than it does in general aviation accidents as helicopters are more susceptible to weather issues than a large airplane. Where a commercial jet may not be affected by strong winds, a helicopter can lose control fast resulting in an accident.

When a helicopter accident happens, the results can be life altering for the victims and their families. If you have been the victim of a California airplane accident, you may have legal options. Under the laws of the State of California, helicopter accidents are considered a type of personal injury and as such the victims may be entitled to compensation for their injuries. If the pilot, the manufacturer of the helicopter or the owner of the helicopter were at fault – in whole or in part – then you may have a valid California helicopter accident case. If someone was negligent and that negligence caused or contributed to the accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your hospital and medical bills, lost time from work, property damage and pain and suffering.

To find out whether you have a valid California helicopter accident case, contact California helicopter accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit him online at www.ledgerlaw.com.

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