Baton Rouge Aviation Accident Lawyer

If you live in Louisiana, then you’re probably familiar with The Baton Rouge Metro Airport that’s served by major network airlines like American, Delta, and United. This airport provides an annual economic impact of $1.1 billion, provides over 4,500 direct and indirect jobs in the Baton Rouge area, and was the second-largest airport in LA by passenger volume in 2021.

Speaking of airports, although there’s been over a century of technological advances in aviation, mechanical and human error still can unfortunately happen. As a matter of fact, the National Transportation Safety Board reported 1,290 plane accidents in 2014—265 were fatal.

Being involved in or losing a loved one in an aviation accident can be one of life’s most difficult experiences. Unfortunately, if the airline is responsible, their insurance representatives will try to talk to you about the crash, or even sign a settlement document, while you’re still in shock and vulnerable.

However, you should never sign documents without first consulting with an experienced aviation accident attorney, or you risk losing out on important compensation to help pay for your medical bills, continued treatment, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering. 

What Factors Contribute to Aviation Accidents in BR?

Parts defects are a major contributor to airplane accidents. Although all aircraft must be inspected on a regular basis for maintenance problems and other flaws, airplane accidents can still happen for reasons like wear and tear, poor design, or other factors like:

• Stabilizers
• Engines and controls
• Fuel tank
• Navigation system
• Landing gear
• Wheels, tires, or braking system
• Wing or propeller components
• Rudder or spoilers

Identifying Defects in an Aviation Accident

Several individuals are involved in an aircraft’s maintenance, preparation, and inspection prior to any flight. These can include:

• Mechanics
• Pilots
• Ground Crew
• Aircraft manufacturers
• Plus more 

All airplanes should be routinely inspected and maintained to prevent accidents from occurring, so when someone fails to notice, report, or repair a malfunctioning part or other defects, they can be held accountable.

At Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, it’s our obligation as your aviation accident lawyers to determine what caused your accident and who is liable for your losses. We will look into your case to identify who is at fault and who should be held accountable.

Types of Aviation Accident Cases Gordon McKernan Can Help With

Our Louisiana personal injury law firm has represented clients involved in a variety of aviation incidents. If you’re considering legal action after becoming a victim of a plane accident, you can be confident that our aviation attorneys can represent you in a variety of aviation incidents, including:

• Air ambulance crashes
• Mid-air collisions
• Helicopter crashes
• Accidents of corporate aircraft
• Commercial aircraft accidents
• Aviation accidents due to defective parts or faulty maintenance
• and others

If you have been badly injured or have lost a loved one in an aircraft accident, contact us today to pursue a personal injury or wrongful death claim with one of our attorneys. We’ll help you understand your legal options.

How Do I File a Wrongful Death Claim in Baton Rouge?

Step 1: Filing a wrongful death lawsuit in Baton Rouge can only be carried out by certain survivors of the aviation accident victim. The survivors of the victim who are able to file a claim are:

• The surviving spouse and/or children of the deceased or
• If both spouse and children are dead, the surviving parents of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, and parents are dead, the surviving siblings of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, parents, and siblings are deceased, the surviving grandparents of the deceased

All of the above relations also include those relations by adoption. 

Step 2: You must contact an attorney to file this claim within a short timeframe following the aviation accident because Baton Rouge follows a strict statute of limitations.

Step 3: Call our Baton Rouge Wrongful Death Attorneys to understand your legal options and receive the advocacy you deserve. 

Statute of Limitation Changes in Louisiana

In 2024, Louisiana law extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims occurring on or after July 1, 2024, from one year to two years. Any injuries that occurred before July 1, 2024, will still have a 1-year statute of limitation. Learn more about Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations here.

• 1 year for injuries sustained before July 1, 2024.
• 2 years for injuries suffered after July 1, 2024.

The statute of limitations is a legal deadline that sets a time frame for filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this is known as the “prescriptive period,” which determines how long you have to take legal action against the responsible party after an injury occurs.

The Role of Expert Witnesses in Your Aviation Accident Claim

Aviation accidents can be challenging. Every accident involves a number of variables, parties, and, more often than not, catastrophic injuries or fatalities. A wide range of factors, such as careless pilots, defective components, poor ground control, and even weather conditions, can cause an aircraft to crash.

We’ll speak with qualified witnesses who can assess and explain the circumstances surrounding your accident in order to identify who is to blame for the tragedy that struck your family. Their knowledgeable judgments might help you maximize your compensation by determining the fault in your claim.

Types of Aviation Experts

Airplanes and other craft are massive machines with hundreds of interconnected systems and moving parts. Depending on the cause of your accident, our aviation accident attorneys will speak with the following people to confirm your claim:

• Airline employees can testify to the role human error might have played in the crash since they were the people on the ground and in the crew at the time of the incident. Their testimony is vital to uncovering the truth of what happened.
• Aerodynamics experts can evaluate how a plane or helicopter’s propellers, rotors, propulsion systems, air load or structural calculations, and other systems played a role in an accident.
• Accident reconstructionists illustrate the circumstances of your accident to a judge and jury in a way that’s easy to understand for the layperson. Many of these experts are accredited and are members of organizations like the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and other groups.
• Air traffic controllers are seasoned experts who can describe what could or should have happened during the events leading up to a crash. Most are current or former air traffic specialists, and some are even pilots or flight instructors themselves.
• Weather experts can testify as to the role inclement weather had in the incident. These experts will examine evidence from the crash and model the weather leading up to it to see what effect rain, ice, lightning, wind shear, clouds, fog, and other conditions could have had in your case.
• Aircraft engineers can advise and testify as to the role that aircraft design defects contributed in the crash. Among other things, an aircraft engineer can assess the craft’s design, electrical systems, fuel system, and workmanship.
• Manufacturers and aviation manufacturing experts can review avionics, systems designs, controls, and other systems for mechanical defects that could’ve led to a loss of control from the pilot.

The Get Gordon Team Can Offer the Assistance You Need

If you or a loved one has been involved in an offshore helicopter crash, plane crash, or other aviation accident, call us at 888.501.7888. The aviation accident lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have 679+ years of combined legal experience representing Louisiana victims of aircraft injuries in court, and we want to help you too. To start on the path to recovery, contact us right away.