Aviation Accidents

The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C., provides experienced legal counsel for persons who have sustained aviation accident injuries in Oklahoma on private or commercial aircraft.

Oklahoma aviation accident injuries are comparatively rare. Air travel is one of the safest modes of transportation worldwide, reporting relatively low numbers of accidents resulting in injuries or deaths when compared to other ways of traveling. Aviation accident attorneys know, however, that pilot error is the number one cause of aircraft crashes, meaning that most accidents and injuries are avoidable.

Usually in aviation injury cases, an airline is the most likely, but not the only, candidate for assessing liability. The liability of an airline for an accident is determined by examining complex Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, providing uniform standards and operating procedures. There are also Oklahoma laws, aviation industry standards, an airline's own standards, and common law tort rules of reasonable due care to consider in aviation injury cases. The experienced aviation attorneys at The Hershewe Law Firm are prepared to consider how all laws and regulations impact a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

Liability may also arise from injuries or death to people on the ground and property damage caused by crashing or falling aircraft. Aircraft owners and operators have been found to have the same responsibilities to persons and property on the ground as they have to passengers. There is a movement away from claiming strict liability and toward claiming negligence, but Oklahoma aviation accident law enters in here, and the lawyers at Hershewe Law will apply it.

Private aircraft owners and operators are not held to the same standards as commercial airlines, but they are held to well-defined standards, nevertheless. These are primarily a matter of FAA regulations, but may also be found in Oklahoma law and the standards of the industry.

Many aviation injury cases are product liability cases. Fault that causes aviation accidents can be design flaws or fabrication errors on the part of aircraft manufacturers or components manufacturers. Establishing liability against a manufacturer for aviation injuries is difficult and expensive, but the Hershewe Law Firm believes they ought to be held accountable if they are at fault in an accident.

Independent companies usually perform aircraft maintenance as well. Hershewe aviation accident attorneys investigate whether an Oklahoma aviation accident is caused by negligent maintenance or failure to perform required maintenance.

In the United States the Federal Aviation Administration governs the Air Traffic Control System (''ATC'') and controls all air traffic. One of the primary duties of ATC is aircraft separation. As a result, the United States is a frequent defendant in aviation injury cases.

Aviation law in Oklahoma is as complex as the sophisticated airplanes and helicopters it covers. If you or your loved ones are victims in the air or on the ground of an aviation accident, seek the counsel of experienced aviation attorneys who will help you negotiate complicated laws and complex chains of accident cause and effect. The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C., can help you understand how federal and Oklahoma aviation law can work to the benefit of you and your family as you try to recover from an aviation accident.

Please call us toll-free at 877-382-9734, or complete our web form.