The dangers associated with the operation of helicopters remains in the forefront of many people’s minds, particularly following the untimely death of National Basketball Association and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash in 2020 near Calabasas, California.
In 2021, the United States Helicopter Safety Team (“USHST”) reported there were 96 helicopter incidents in the United States with 17 of them resulting in fatalities.
Helicopter crashes can involve a number of different causes and factors. Some of these include:
• Mechanical malfunction;
• Operator/pilot error;
• Electrical malfunction; and/or
• Various environmental factors.
Depending on the various causes or factors leading to the crash, a number of potential parties may be potentially responsible for injuries sustained by individuals involved in a helicopter crash. These may include the owners of the helicopter, the manufacturer of the helicopter, the manufacturer of a component part of a helicopter, and/or the operator of the aircraft. For example, it may be shown in some cases that appropriate safety checks or steps were not properly undertaken by the operator/pilot of the helicopter before or during takeoff. Or the case may involve a situation in which some sort of equipment, component part, or electrical systems malfunctioned in some way.
It is critical to hire experienced aviation incident attorneys who can preserve key evidence early on and help identify and hold the proper parties responsible.
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due to a helicopter incident or crash, call the experienced lawyers at the Houston law firm Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at 713-222-7211 or toll free at 1-800-870-9584 for a personal injury consultation.