Maison Law represents the families of helicopter pilots killed in tragic California helicopter accidents. We assist families in seeking justice when a mistake by a helicopter aviation company or an airport puts a pilot at deadly risk. Our compassionate California Helicopter Accident Lawyers earn every benefit available for families. To find out if you have a case, schedule a free and confidential case consultation. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what types of benefits are available to your family.
California Helicopter Pilot Hazards in California
Piloting a helicopter takes a lot of skill and experience. Pilots also need to be able to count on their employers and ground crew members to provide the necessary support to maintain a safe aircraft. They need airports to provide up-to-date information on potential flight hazards.
Unfortunately, pilots can be let down by fellow crewmembers, airport staff, and their own aviation company owners and put in dangerous situations. Even a small problem at thousands of feet in the air can result in a tragic air crash. Investigators often look at the pilot first when determining what caused an impact. Yet, sometimes, it’s a helicopter company or tour company’s mistake well before the accident that led to an eventual crash.
Pilots taking passengers up for sightseeing, fighting wildfires, or transporting accident victims to hospitals, can lose their lives due to someone else’s mistake. When these terrible acts of negligence occur, the right party must be held accountable so family members left behind are never left facing the toll of a deadly accident alone. A California helicopter accident lawyer safeguards a family’s case and makes sure they receive critical support from every liable party.
Tragic Mistakes that Lead to Dangers for California Helicopter Pilots
The families of pilots may seek support through a wrongful death claim after a crash that’s caused by the negligence of an employer or some other entity. A California helicopter accident attorney would be collecting evidence to show that an aviation company and its employees didn’t provide the proper support to a pilot during a doomed flight.
Employers are responsible for providing employees with safe work conditions. When they neglect this duty, they can be held accountable for the consequences.
An aviation company or an airport operator could have the funds to hire corporate lawyers to try to shift the blame for a helicopter accident. A pilot may end up taking a lot of the blame in a crash when the real fault lies with the negligence of a helicopter owner and operator, such as a helicopter tours business.
Your lawyer would work to show the actual cause of a disaster. These and other factors could have all contributed to the loss of control by a pilot:
- An air traffic controller mistake. This may leave the federal government liable for the loss of life.
- A manufacturing issue with the helicopter. This may leave a manufacturer like Boeing liable.
- An airport operations mistake. This could leave the city government that owns and operates an airport liable.
- A helicopter company may not have provided a safe aircraft for the pilot to operate. The company may have failed in the proper maintenance of a helicopter.
- A helicopter company may not have provided adequate rest time for pilots.
- A helicopter owner or operator may not have provided proper training for pilots.
- A helicopter company may not have provided qualified crewmembers and grounds crew to support the pilot.
- A helicopter company may not have provided skilled and qualified ground crew members.
A California wrongful death lawyer investigates to find every party that may have contributed to an aircraft accident. That can include the helicopter company responsible for the mistakes made by ground crew members and other employees.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim After a Helicopter Accident?
Not every family member has the right to file a wrongful death claim after a pilot’s death. The right is generally reserved for close relatives who rely on the pilot’s income for direct financial support.
Those that would be eligible to receive a share of a wrongful death settlement check would be:
- A spouse or partner
- Children and adopted children of the victim
- The grandchildren of the victim if their parents are no longer living
In some cases, the parents of the victim or anyone financially dependent on the pilot would have the right to participate in a wrongful death claim.
A skilled California wrongful death lawyer can also represent the family in a lawsuit. A lawyer gives families a buffer from frustrating insurance interactions. The family has time to grieve while a lawyer works to maximize the settlement money victims receive.
Compensation Available After a Helicopter Pilot Has Been Lost in a Crash
Families who have lost a loved one in a helicopter crash are allowed up to two years from the date of the crash to file a wrongful death claim. Families shouldn’t delay though. Acting quickly allows a California personal injury lawyer access to fresh evidence before it disappears.
If a pilot’s accident may have been caused by a mistake by airport staff or a federal employee (such as an air traffic controller) the deadline may come even quicker. A skilled California helicopter accident wrongful death attorney makes sure you make every deadline and don’t let at-fault parties off the hook for their mistakes.
A lawyer would file a wrongful death claim on your family’s behalf and would ask for these benefits and others:
- Support to cover a funeral.
- Support to pay any medical bills built up before the victim’s passing.
- Support for the “loss of earning power.” The loss of income the pilot would have continued to provide the family with in the future.
- Support for the loss of care and guidance a loved one can no longer provide to family members in the years to come.
- A spouse could sue for a “loss of consortium” or the loss of intimacy.
Contact a California Helicopter Pilot Wrongful Death Lawyer
If a helicopter company’s negligence caused the injury or death of a pilot or any employee, your family should speak to a California Helicopter Accident Lawyer. Contact us to schedule a free and confidential consultation. It’s a chance to find out what your case may be worth and how to hold a helicopter owner and operator fully responsible for the deaths of its employees.
We work to get the families of pilots the most compensation possible after a tragedy. We also want to negotiate with aviation companies and their insurance companies while providing as little disruption to the family as possible.
You won’t need any upfront money to hire a Maison Law attorney to protect your family. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you and your family. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you receive.
