NYC Aviation Accident Lawyer

Since 2007, our accomplished and successful trial attorneys have helped plane crash victims change their lives after devastating aviation accidents. With 130+ years of combined experience behind every case, we’ve been able to recover tens of millions in financial settlements and awards. Put our revered and respected legal team in your corner. Contact our law office in NYC to set up a free confidential case assessment now.

How The Platta Law Firm Can Help After an Airplane Accident in NYC, NY

Whether your plane crashes while it’s taxiing, during takeoff, or during the final descent, an accident can be terrifying. You’ll need time to recover from your catastrophic injuries and cope with the trauma you’ve experienced. 

You can give yourself room to breathe and set yourself up for a financial victory by calling our NYC personal injury lawyers for help immediately. At The Platta Law Firm, we understand that you have one shot at recovering compensation from a negligent pilot, airline, airport, or insurance company. Our attorneys are here to stand up, assert your rights, and make sure that you’re properly paid for the injuries and suffering you’ve endured. We have a tried-and-true approach to injury claims and litigation, which includes:

• Conducting a thorough and exhaustive investigation of your aviation accident.
• Reviewing the results of local, state, and/or federal government agency investigations.
• Analyzing flight logs, black box data, pilot communication records, aircraft maintenance logs, accident reports, weather reports, medical reports, witness statements, and physical evidence from the crash.
• Defending against potential claims of shared fault or liability.
• Preparing a strong legal basis for damages, based on persuasive facts and evidence.
• Using tough negotiation tactics to secure a top-dollar settlement payout on your behalf.

Our team is truly at home in the courtroom, which means that we’ll never shy away from trial. If you aren’t offered a fair deal, or if your injuries exceed what insurance will pay, our NYC trial attorneys will not hesitate to bring your lawsuit to a jury. We work on contingency, so there’s absolutely no out-of-pocket cost to hire our NYC personal injury law firm. You only pay if we win your aviation accident case. End of story. Call to get started with a free case assessment now.

Types of Aviation Accident Cases We Handle

New York City is a hot spot for commercial, private, and government air travel. Aircraft regularly take off from and land at LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Airport in neighboring New Jersey, and dozens of smaller airfields around the city. At The Platta Law Firm, our personal injury attorneys are here to help after any type of aviation accident, including:

• Commercial airplane accidents
• Private airplane accidents
• Helicopter accidents
• Sightseeing helicopter accidents
• Medivac accidents
• Fatal aviation accidents

Whether you were on board a commercial jetliner or traveling on a private plane, we can help you file a legal claim for damages and fight to get the compensation you deserve.

How Common Are Aviation Accidents?

Statistically speaking, the odds of dying in a commercial airplane accident during your lifetime are so low that they can’t be calculated. In 2021, there were just 21 commercial airplane accidents reported nationwide.

Most aviation accidents involve private aircraft – like those that take off from Teterboro and other smaller airports around New York City.

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), there were 1,157 private aviation accidents in the United States in 2021. These airplane accidents caused at least 221 serious injuries and 344 deaths. This marked a slight decline from years prior, when the average number of aviation accidents exceeded 1,200 annually.

What Are the Top Causes of NYC Aviation Accidents?

Research shows that the first three minutes and the final eight minutes of a flight are the most dangerous. About 80 percent of aviation accidents occur during these times. About 10 percent of all aviation accidents happen while an aircraft is cruising at altitude (though these accidents are responsible for 20 percent of all related deaths). Why do these accidents happen? Data suggests that pilot error and negligence contribute to about 80 percent of all aviation accidents. Some of the top contributors include:

• Pilot inattention
• Pilot distraction
• Pilot inexperience
• Miscommunication with air traffic control
• Failure to perform pre-flight checklists
• Crew member errors
• Loss of situational awareness
• Pilot fatigue
• Air traffic control error
• Deviations from the flight envelope
• Taxiing errors
• Navigation errors
• Drunk or drugged operation
• Failing to check the weather before takeoff

Mechanical failures, aircraft defects, and bad weather conditions can also contribute to airplane and aviation accidents. Our experienced New York personal injury attorneys will carefully investigate the circumstances of your accident to determine how and why it happened. Once we’ve determined the cause(s), we can begin to pursue damages from responsible and liable parties aggressively.

Understanding Liability for a New York City
Aviation Accident

While pilot errors are the leading cause of aviation accidents, pilots aren’t necessarily the only ones who can be financially responsible for a crash. Liability for a NYC plane accident can extend to:

• Aircraft crew
• Air traffic controllers
• Aircraft mechanics
• Aircraft manufacturers
• Commercial airlines
• Private aircraft owners
• Sightseeing tour companies
• Airports
• Passengers

Liability is shared by anyone who directly or indirectly contributes to an airplane accident in New York City. Our aviation accident attorneys will work to hold all at-fault parties fully accountable for your injuries and suffering.

Damages Available to NYC Plane Crash Victims

Whether you file a claim for insurance benefits or seek damages in an airplane accident lawsuit, you can generally be compensated for your financial expenses and other intangible, hard-to-value losses. These are known as economic and non-economic damages, or compensatory damages collectively. This can help you recover money for:

• Medical bills
• Physical therapy
• Lost wages
• Disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Reduced quality of life
• Nursing assistance
• Medical devices and equipment
• Funeral expenses and related costs

Every plane accident victim will have a unique experience. As a result, there’s no standard settlement for plane accident claims. Instead, several factors will be important when it comes to valuation. These include:

• The types of injuries sustained in the airplane accident
• The need for long-term medical treatment or nursing care
• Changes in earning capacity and income
• Long-term disability
• Physical and emotional impacts of the accident
• Available insurance benefits and policy limits
• Age at the time of the airplane accident

The attorney you choose to represent you can also make or break your airplane accident case. At The Platta Law Firm, we have a proven ability to win big results for our clients, with tens of millions in life-changing awards recovered to date. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our law office in New York City to find out how we can help you make the most of your aviation accident case, too.

Aviation Accidents Can Cause Devastating Injuries

The Platta Law Firm advocates for plane accident victims who have sustained:

• Broken bones and fractures
• Cuts and lacerations
• Severe burn injuries
• Amputation
• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Catastrophic injury
• Back injury
• Neck injury
• Crushing injury
• Wrongful death of a family member

Once you’ve sought emergency medical treatment at a local hospital in NYC, don’t hesitate to reach out to our law firm to discuss the details of your case. We’re here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What’s the Statute of Limitations on Aviation Accident Lawsuits in New York?

Following a plane accident in New York City, you’ll have just three years to file a legal claim for damages. If a close family member dies in a NYC plane crash, a wrongful death lawsuit must be brought within two years of the date of their death.

You give up the opportunity to recover compensation for your injuries and suffering if you let the statute of limitations expire without taking action.

Protect yourself – and position yourself for a meaningful victory – by calling our airplane accident attorneys in NYC for help right away.

Call Our Award-Winning NYC Aviation Accident Attorneys for Help Today

What caused your airplane accident? Who’s at fault? What kind of evidence will you need to make your case and get the compensation you deserve? These aren’t questions you should have to figure out while you’re trying to recover from your devastating airplane accident injuries. Fortunately, you don’t have to. You can focus on your recovery and take the burden of a lawsuit off your shoulders by calling The Platta Law Firm for help.

Our NYC aviation accident lawyers have 130+ years of combined experience, a proven ability to win, and a dedicated passion for fighting for clients like you. Show the airline, insurance company, or negligent pilot that you’re serious about your fight for compensation by putting us in your corner. Your first case evaluation is 100 percent free, so call our NYC law office to begin today.