How to File an Injury Lawsuit Against an Airline

Personal injury lawyers know how to file an injury lawsuit against an airline. Depending on the airline you are suing, the nature of the flight involved in the lawsuit, and other factors specific to your case, your attorney may file a personal injury case in state or federal court.

Our attorneys are familiar with suing private carriers and national and international airlines. We will file your injury lawsuit against an airline for you, allowing you to focus on the recovery process.

When Is It Appropriate to File an Injury Lawsuit Against an Airline?

You may have grounds to file a lawsuit if:

1. The behavior of an airline’s representatives qualifies as negligence.
2. The negligence caused you to suffer injuries or lose a loved one.

Airlines have a duty of care to their customers, including passengers on an aircraft. If you question whether an airline’s negligence is the reason you suffered injuries or lost a loved one, our personal injury firm will provide answers. If an airline failed to take reasonable measures to protect you from harm, you may sue for compensation covering your damages.

What Conditions Is an Airline Responsible For?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) holds air carriers to a high standard when it comes to passenger safety. A private, domestic, or foreign air carrier may be responsible for injuries resulting from:

Dangerous Cabin Conditions

The FAA explains that airlines are responsible for the safety of their planes’ cabins. Dangers in the cabin may include:

• Defective seat belts that fail to protect passengers during turbulence
• Sharp objects in seats or other areas of the plane where they may stick a passenger
• Defective overhead bins, which may cause luggage to fall on passengers

The cabin is where passengers and airlines interact most directly, so cabin conditions may be a common reason for airline lawsuits.

Turbulence

Some degree of turbulence is expected if you fly often enough. However, turbulence may become an issue of negligence when:

• Pilots do not take measures to avoid turbulence.
• Pilots fail to warn everyone on board of impending turbulence.
• You suffer turbulence-related injuries because of defective seat belts, seats, or other safety equipment.

Whiplash, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries are among the possible consequences of avoidable turbulence. 

Inadequate Responses to Medical Events

If you suffer an in-flight medical event and the crew responds slowly or inappropriately, the airline may bear responsibility for damages.

Food Cart Accidents

Injuries resulting from mismanagement of the food and drink cart may be the airline’s responsibility. Airlines are generally responsible for their employees’ actions. Rolling over your toes, striking your elbows, and other harmful incidents involving the drink cart may entitle you to compensation from the liable airline.

Collisions

If an airplane strikes a fixed object or another aircraft on the tarmac, passengers may suffer injuries. Though such events are rare, they do happen. Pilot negligence may be the reason for such collisions, and the airline may be liable for injury-related damages. 

Airlines May Be Liable When Negligence Causes Injuries to Passengers

Our firm will work to hold an airline responsible for any type of negligence that caused you harm, which may include:

• Failing to regularly check the cabin for hazards: Airline employees must regularly inspect their planes, identify hazards, and take every necessary step to protect passengers. 
• Failing to act on tips or complaints from passengers: If passengers alert the crew of a hazard, the airline must address them.
• Failing to replace defective equipment: If airline staff know of a hazard but fail to address it, they act negligently and endanger passengers like you.
• Pilot-related negligence: If pilots fail to honor their duty of care to passengers, the airline is generally liable for resulting harm.

Can I Seek Compensation from a Negligent Airline Without a Lawyer’s Help?

Everyone has the option of seeking compensation for negligence on their own. However, there are several reasons why so many victims of negligence—including those harmed by airline negligence—hire attorneys.

You may choose to hire an attorney from our firm because:

• We have held airlines accountable for negligence before: Our attorneys know how to file an injury lawsuit against an airline. Just as importantly, we know how to successfully resolve an injury lawsuit against an airline. We won’t be intimidated, and we’ll conclude your case as efficiently as possible.
• We will lead your case at no upfront cost: We offer a client-friendly fee structure, which requires you to pay nothing when you hire our firm. We agree to accept a fee only if we win your case, and the fee comes from your financial recovery. 
• You will work directly with our partners: Unlike most personal injury firms, our partners have a key role in every case. When we put our firm’s name on a case, we want our best leading the legal fight. You deserve nothing less.
• You deserve to focus on your health and recovery: Whether you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one, your well-being should be your focus. Lawsuits require serious effort and focus, and your injuries and mental health deficits could prevent you from putting forth a strong case on your own.

We will seek compensation for every damage resulting from an airline’s negligence, which may include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Pain and suffering
• Diminished earning power
• Mental health treatment costs
• Wrongful death

Each victim of airline negligence has different injuries and damages. Our team will calculate a settlement that reflects your unique damages.

Call for a Free Consultation About Seeking Fair Compensation From an Airline

We may face a statute of limitations under Florida Statutes § 95.11 for filing your case against an airline. Don’t wait to contact our team, as your consultation is free and comes with no obligation to hire our firm.

Call Chalik & Chalik Injury Lawyers today. We will work hard to ensure you get fair compensation for damages caused by an airline’s negligence.