Airline Accidents are Making Headlines
Airplane accidents have been making headlines recently. On Saturday, July 6, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash landed at San Francisco International Airport. Just two weeks later, on July 22, a Southwest Airlines plane hit the runway, nose first before breaking its front landing gear at New York’s LaGuardia airport. Finally, on July 29, American Airlines Flight 810 blew two tires on the left main landing gear shortly after landing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Asiana Airlines is one of two major airlines in South Korea. Flight 214 was seconds away from landing when, without any warning from the cockpit, it slammed into the edge of the runway. The plane’s tail was severed and the rest was sent spinning onto the runway on its belly. Part of the roof collapsed and the plane caught fire.
Two people, a pair of sixteen-year-old friends traveling from China to the U.S. to go to summer camp, died as a result of the accident. 182 passengers were transported to nearby hospitals and treated for injuries ranging from spinal fractured to bruises. 123 passengers escaped unharmed. It could take up to two years to determine the cause of the accident.
The Southwest Airlines flight landing at LaGuardia, a Boeing 737-700, was designed to touch down using the main landing gear located under the wings with the nose pointing upward. Although the nose was pointed upward before the landing, the nose was pointed at an angle of 3 degrees downward upon landing. It is unknown what caused it to tip downward. After the plane landed on it’s nose, it skidded on the runway for about 19 seconds before stopping. Nine people were injured in the incident. Southwest Airlines and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the cause of the accident.
The final airplane accident making headlines recently was American Airlines Flight 810 from Reno to O’Hare. After the plane landed, two tires blew on the left main landing gear, causing passengers to exit the plane via stair car. The tires were changed and the plane was placed in a hangar. No injuries were reported.
In the case of airplane accidents, it is important to understand that the litigation surrounding airplane crashes is often complex and unique. There is a difference between crashes involving airlines or other common carriers and crashes involving private aircraft’s. Additionally, if your accident was with a common carrier, you need to know that your right to recover damages depends on whether your flight was international or domestic. It is also essential that measures be taken to promptly preserve evidence, investigate the accident and enable physicians or other expert witnesses to evaluate any injuries. The plane crash lawyers at Wolf & Pravato can explain the specifics of your aviation accident’s circumstances and help you to prove negligence if you case does not involve strict liability.
If you or a loved one is a victim of an airplane accident, please contact a personal injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach at the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato at 954-633-8270.
