St. Petersburg Aviation Accident Lawyer

Were you or a loved one hurt in a plane accident in St. Petersburg, Florida? You may deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering. A St. Petersburg aviation accident lawyer at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers can fight to make sure you get every dollar you deserve. 

Since 1955, our lawyers have focused all of our resources on helping accident victims who have been involved in workplace accidents, St. Petersburg slip and fall claims, maritime accidents, medical malpractice, and more. Our aggressive and thorough approach has helped us recover hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for those clients.

We offer a free consultation, so don’t hesitate to contact our law offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, to schedule your free case review today at (727) 349-1728.

How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Aviation Accident in St. Petersburg

How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Can Help After an Aviation Accident in St. Petersburg

Whether you’re hurt in-flight, on the tarmac, or in a dramatic fall from the sky, plane accidents can cause significant damage. If the accident wasn’t your fault, you deserve to be compensated.

Aviation accidents are often more complicated than car accident claims–partially because they’re much rarer. When you’re struggling with painful injuries, an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer can work to protect your legal rights.

At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, we have over 60 years of experience handling complex injury claims. We’re the oldest personal injury firm in Tampa Bay and have recovered hundreds of millions for injury victims in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Clearwater.

When you hire us, you can count on our team to:

  • Act quickly to preserve evidence that will support your personal injury claim
  • Launch a full investigation to locate all responsible parties
  • Work closely with your doctors and other experts to assess the value of your case
  • Negotiate with the insurance companies to recover the maximum compensation possible

Our goal is to recover a meaningful financial settlement so that you can move on with your life. However, if the insurance company refuses to pay what’s fair, we’re prepared to advocate for you at trial.

Our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys are ready to get started today. All you have to do is call our law firm for the legal advice you deserve.

How Common Are Aviation Accidents in St. Petersburg?

A commercial plane crash always makes headlines. Commercial aircraft are planes that carry passengers and cargo on regularly scheduled flights. As you might imagine, commercial aviation accidents are usually disastrous.

Worldwide, 299 people lost their lives in 40 commercial plane accidents in 2020. That’s an increase from 2019, where 257 fatalities were reported in 86 commercial airline accidents.

Most plane crashes involve “general aviation aircraft.” General aviation aircraft includes small private planes, prop planes, and any other civilian aircraft that is not a commercial or military plane. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, more than 220,000 general aviation aircraft are active in the U.S. About 14,543 private planes are registered in Florida–making Florida the third most popular state for general aviation.

In 2019, there were 1,220 plane accidents involving general aviation aircraft in the United States. Over 400 passengers were killed, and another 227 sustained serious injuries.

What is My St. Petersburg Aviation Accident Case Worth?

Before you file a claim for compensation, you should know how much your case is worth. Assessing the value of an injury or fatality is extremely difficult. 

Insurance companies and judges consider many different factors, including:

  • Whether you’ve suffered a severe or permanent injury
  • The cost and duration of your medical treatment
  • Your overall physical pain and suffering
  • The emotional trauma of the accident and injury
  • The impact on your daily life, including quality of life
  • Your out-of-pocket expenses
  • Whether your acts contributed to the accident

Sometimes our lawyers will consult experts to help us fully evaluate the cost of your injuries. Over the years, we’ve developed relationships with experts that the insurance companies take seriously. We’d be more than happy to put those resources to work for you.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Aviation Accident Victims?

Aviation accident victims can recover two types of compensatory damages: economic damages and non-economic damages.

At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll fight to ensure you’re reimbursed for all of your expenses, including:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Future medical expenses
  • Lost future earning capacity
  • Rehabilitation
  • Property damage

We’ll also fight to secure the non-economic damages you deserve. Non-economic damages compensate you for subjective losses, such as:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Diminished quality of life
  • Physical disfigurement and scarring
  • Permanent physical impairment
  • Anxiety and depression
  • PTSD
  • Loss of consortium

Florida courts rarely award punitive damages. Punitive damages don’t compensate you for any specific loss. Instead, they punish the defendant for especially shocking actions. For example, if the airline consistently violated safety rules and ignored dangers to passengers, the court may be inclined to award punitive damages.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Aviation Accident Injuries

Injuries resulting from plane crashes and in-flight accidents can be devastating. 

At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, our attorneys can help your family recover compensation for:

  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Crush injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Concussions
  • Back injuries
  • Organ damage
  • Broken bones
  • Burn injuries
  • Loss of limbs
  • Paralysis
  • Catastrophic injuries

Our St. Petersburg aviation accident attorneys also represent families who have lost a loved one in a fatal plane crash. While money can’t erase your loss, you may be entitled to damages for wrongful death, including funeral expenses, medical bills, and more.

What Causes Most Aviation Accidents in St. Petersburg, Florida?

Most aviation accidents occur during takeoff and descent. In fact, more than 80% of all accidents happen during the first three minutes or last eight minutes of a flight.

Aviation accidents can happen for many different reasons. Often, an inexperienced pilot may be unable to react appropriately to conditions on the plane. Pilots on smaller planes tend to have less experience than commercial and military pilots.

Aside from pilot error, some of the most common causes of plane accidents include:

  • Failure to properly inspect the aircraft
  • Failure to maintain the aircraft
  • Faulty equipment 
  • Engine failure
  • Violating federal aviation regulations
  • Communication errors
  • Defects in the plane or plane components
  • Extreme weather conditions

Once you identify the cause of an airplane accident, you’ll have to identify the parties who may be financially responsible. 

Multiple parties may share liability under Florida law, including:

  • The pilot
  • The owner of a private charter plane
  • Airlines
  • Maintenance companies
  • Inspection companies
  • Air traffic control employees
  • The manufacturer of defective airplane or part
  • Government agencies

Not all aviation accidents involve a plane crash. Some accidents happen on the ground or during a perfectly routine flight. 

You might even be injured because of:

  • A slip and fall accident in flight or while boarding the plane
  • An assault by an unruly passenger
  • A defective piece of safety equipment
  • Falling cargo or luggage

Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers would be proud to take the lead in your case. We have the experience and resources to identify the cause of your accident and demand fair compensation from all responsible parties. If you’re ready to learn more about how an attorney client relationship can help you, give us a call today.

How Do I Prove Negligence After an Aviation Accident in Florida? 

Plane crashes are particularly complex. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigate any plane crash that happens in the United States. The investigation alone could take months, if not years. 

Our lawyers can perform our own investigation to find out what happened. 

We’ll find the evidence we need to establish liability in Pinellas County, including:

  • Investigative reports prepared by federal and state authorities
  • Opinions provided by accident reconstruction experts
  • Past safety records
  • The pilot’s license and qualifications
  • Inspection and maintenance records
  • Eyewitness testimony

Many airplane accidents are caused by human error or negligence. Negligence is a failure to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances.

Strict liability laws apply in cases involving defective planes or equipment. Instead of proving that someone was careless, you’ll have to identify the manufacturing or design defect that caused the accident.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Aviation Accident in Florida?

In Florida, most accident victims have four years to file a personal injury lawsuit based on defective products or negligence. However, you may have less time depending on the specific facts of your case. 

If you have a claim against a municipal airport or government entity, you’ll only have two or three years to file your claim–depending upon the defendant involved in your case.

It’s always a good idea to speak with a personal injury attorney if you were hurt in an aviation accident. Our lawyers at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers are here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the deadlines in your case.

Contact a St. Petersburg Aviation Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Were you or a loved one injured in a plane accident? You can rely on an experienced St. Petersburg aviation accident lawyer at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers to protect your legal rights. Just call our law offices for a free consultation today.

Our personal injury law firm in St. Petersburg, FL also provides: