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 aircrafts. 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.

53,000 gas grill propane tanks exploded Monday, July 26 at the Blue Rhino gas plant in Tavares, Florida. Blue Rhino is a propane plant that refurbishes and fills 20-pound propane canisters frequently used for gas barbecue grills. It reconditions about 2.5 million cylinders a year. Around twenty-four employees were working on the assembly line when the explosions occurred. The explosions happened away from most of the workers.

Eight workers were injured, four critically, and with severe burns. Some of the tanks flew off Blue Rhino’s property, one damaging a nearby home where it blasted through the roof and melted into the carpet. No one was hurt.

Residents within a one-mile radius of the plant were ordered to evacuate their homes, although many residents chose to remain. Many residents are now questioning whether or not they want Blue Rhino to rebuild in the same location.

Investigators initially said it looked like equipment failure or human error could have caused the explosion, but the investigation is still ongoing. The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have also conducted an investigation and found nothing to suggest criminal activity or sabotage. Additionally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is still continuing its own investigation. OSHA has up to six months from the beginning of its investigation to issue its findings and determine whether any OSHA standards were violated.

The plant had been inspected in early July by the Department of Agriculture and no violations were found. However, the plant did receive a violation from OSHA in 2011 due to an air nozzle that had a missing component.

There will be discussions and inspections before the plant reopens. The city wants the plant to install an automated flooding system to protect three 30,000-gallon propane tanks outside of the facility. Currently, the last person out of the facility in the event of an emergency is required to manually turn on the flooding system, which did not happen. However, the fire caused by the explosion did not harm the larger tanks.

The explosion at the Blue Rhino gas plant is just one example of the kind of accident that can lead to catastrophic personal injury. When tragedy in Florida strikes, its cause is often indiscriminate, but often negligence can be involved.

Wolf & Pravato catastrophic personal injury lawyers have seen myriad forms of negligence, including defective products, premises liability and construction or work-related accidents. No matter the cause, when you or a loved one has sustained serious harm, help from a team of experienced South Florida catastrophic personal injury lawyers is necessary. Our lawyers approach each of its catastrophically injured clients with the understanding of their unique needs and works to assemble the necessary information to get you the help you or your loved one needs.

Our catastrophic personal injury lawyers at Wolf & Pravato understand what’s at stake, and we can help. Contact us for a free, no-obligation and confidential consultation. Justice is not automatic, and we are prepared to fight for you.

We help the victims of other practice areas:

• Dangerous Product Florida
• Defective Products Florida
• Defective Tires Florida
• Dental Malpractice Florida