Hiring an Aviation Attorney for Class Action Lawsuits
If you’ve lost a loved one or a friend in an aircraft-related accident, you might be thinking the accident was caused by someone’s negligence. Hiring an aviation attorney may help you figure things out, and file a successful lawsuit against the people responsible for the accident.
For millions of travellers around the world, riding an aircraft is the best choice for traveling to distant locations. Through chartered, commercial, or private flights, you can travel to places thousands of miles away in a few hours. While air travel is convenient, safety is always an issue. Flying at high altitudes at incredible speeds poses many risks. This is why inspectors and professionals like aviation attorneys always keep a close eye on aircraft safety.
When you hear about aviation accidents, commercial aircraft crashes just like the ones you see on TV or in mo-vies are probably the first thing you think of. While crashes involving commercial airlines are the most publicized aviation accidents, mishaps involving helicopters, private planes, and commuter planes also happen.
Aviation laws are often unfamiliar to most of the passengers who get involved in these accidents. These laws do not just cover accidents. They also cover airline and aircraft operation guidelines, and relevant business regulations. Consulting an aviation accident lawyer is the best way to familiarize yourself with these laws.
The Convention on International Civil Aviation contains all the laws and regulations related to air travel. Created in 1944, the Convention was revised eight times over the course of sixty-two years. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), established in October 1944, is in charge of making sure the different member countries of the United Nations uphold these regulations.
Annex 13 of the Convention covers everything related to air-related accidents and accident investigations. This includes the definition of air accidents, guidelines on how the investigation should proceed, and the rights of people involved in the accident.
According to the Convention, an aviation accident is an in-flight incident involving any of three things:
1. A person or group of people suffering from serious or fatal injuries directly caused by riding in or being in contact with the aircraft
2. The aircraft sustaining structural damage or failure
3. The aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible
Lawsuits involving any of the above accidents require the immediate attention of an aviation attorney.
Finding an aviation accident lawyer is especially important if the accident involves the death of a loved one. Aviation accidents often happen because of an individual’s or a company’s negligence. The accident may have occurred because a member of the aircraft’s crew failed to follow safety protocols, or maybe the plane’s manufacturer provided a defective product. Whatever the case may be, filing a lawsuit to punish negligence will give you and your family peace, and it may help prevent future accidents from happening.
An aviation attorney may also help you file class action lawsuits against the negligent party. Class action lawsuits involve a group of people collectively bringing a case to court. In cases involving aviation accidents, groups of passengers or multiple families of deceased passengers may file this type of lawsuit if they have the same suspicions or concerns. Putting a class action lawsuit together is a bit tricky, but an aviation accident lawyer can help you organize it.
Caitlin Riley is a paralegal working for an aviation accident lawyer and aviation attorney.