Helicopter accidents are, without a doubt, very dangerous incidents that are likely to have devastating outcomes for the pilots and passengers involved in the crash. Did a member of your family die in a helicopter accident? Were you injured in a helicopter accident? If the helicopter crash involving a defective Bell 407 helicopter, then you might have the right to file either a wrongful death claim or an injury claim. To explore the options available to you after a helicopter accident, it is important that you speak with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm that is has decades of experience handling all sorts of claims, including those resulting from helicopter accidents. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your current situation and help you recover the compensation that you are owed. We are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue your injury lawsuit or a wrongful death claim.
If you are ready to speak with our attorneys to learn more about your right to sue, contact us today.
A Quick Review of the Bell 407
The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 407 has been in production since 1995. Over the years, the Bell 407 has been associated with 13 fatal accidents in over 2.1 million flight hours. This gives the Bell 407 a fatal accident rate of 0.62 per every 100,000 flight hours. In addition to these fatal accidents, the Bell 407 has been involved in other accidents.
The Injuries Resulting from Helicopter Accidents
Helicopter accidents can result in some of the following injuries:
- Head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries, back injuries, and spinal cord injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Severed limbs
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Ruptured/punctured organs
- Nerve damage
- Scarring/disfigurement
There have been many minor incidents in which affected parties can walk away with only minor injuries, like scrapes, bruises, and a bit of a scare. However, these incidents always have the potential of resulting in critical injuries, which can lead to permanent and disabling injuries – in addition to fatal injuries.
Whether you sustained injuries or a member of your family lost his or her life, you could have grounds to file a lawsuit after a helicopter crash involving a Bell 407 helicopter.
Causes of Helicopter Accidents
Without a doubt, helicopter accidents can be caused by a number of reasons, including pilot error, untrained/unskilled pilots, company negligence (specifically pilot companies or training companies), property owner negligence (specifically the owners of the helicopters). Even the negligence of maintenance and repair crews can cause helicopter accidents.
Another major cause of helicopter accidents – that, of course, is completely preventable, is product defects. Most often, these are defects in product design or manufacturing, but they can also be defects in labeling (which can include important issues with the user manual, for example). Any of the following defects can quickly lead to a dangerous helicopter accident:
- Issue with the tail rotor or the main rotor
- Issues with the rotor mast
- Issues with the tail boom
- Issues with the engine, transmission, or fuel tank
- Issues with the electrical components
- Issues with mechanical components
Understanding Liability for Harm Caused by Defective Products – Is Bell Helicopter Liable?
Based on the concept of product liability, all companies have a duty of care towards their consumers. This means that they must test and inspect their products thoroughly before making them available to consumers. If companies fail to do this, then they can be liable for any harm that consumers suffer due to defective products. Of course, this also applies to helicopters. If a defect present in a helicopter directly leads to an incident that either injures or kills someone, the company could be liable. In other words, Bells Helicopter could be liable for the harm resulting from a helicopter accident – given that the accident was caused by a defect present in the helicopter.
This means that if you were injured or a member of your family was killed in an accident involving a defective Bell 407 helicopter, you could have grounds to sue Bell Helicopter.
Of course, it is important to note that other parties/entities could be liable for these incidents, although liability will be based on the specific cause of the accident. For more information about establishing liability after a helicopter accident, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm as soon as possible. Our helicopter accident experts are ready to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your helicopter accident lawsuit.
Possible Compensation
What type of compensation could you be eligible to receive for your helicopter accident claim? Some of the categories of compensation that are often available for recovery after these types of accidents include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damages
- Punitive damages
- Legal costs
In wrongful death cases, claimants could be eligible to recover different categories of compensation, which include compensation for any medical costs incurred before the victim’s death, loss of consortium, loss of support, and funeral and burial costs, for instance.
If you would like to learn more about the specific type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover if your helicopter accident lawsuit is ultimately successful, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm immediately. Our lawyers are ready to fight for your right to recover the highest settlement available for your helicopter accident claim.
The Statute of Limitations
Although you could sue and recover compensation after a helicopter accident that injured you or killed a loved one, it is important that you know that you could lose the right to sue if you fail to take any action within the appropriate length of time. This is because all claims are subject to a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations essentially establishes the total length of time that claimants have to file their lawsuits. How long do you have to file a helicopter injury lawsuit? How long do your have to file a helicopter accident wrongful death lawsuit?
Both injury lawsuits and wrongful death claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations, which means that claimants only have two-years to file their claims. Of course, it is possible for certain exceptions to apply and affect the time that claimants have to sue. For more information about the total time that you have to file your helicopter accident claim or helicopter wrongful death claim, contact us immediately. Our lawyers are ready to help you file on time.
Do I Have the Right to File a Wrongful Death Claim?
You might be unsure of whether you have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit based on your specific relation to the victim. Our firm has gotten the following questions in the past:
- Can stepchildren file for wrongful death?
- Can a brother or sister file a wrongful death claim?
- Can a divorced parent bring forth a cause of action for wrongful death?
Yes, brothers, sisters, stepchildren, and divorced parents of the decedent – in addition to other parties – can file wrongful death claims. Based on California law, the following parties can file a lawsuit for wrongful death: a surviving spouse, domestic partner, children, or any person entitled to the decedent’s property based on intestate succession; a putative spouse, children of a putative spouse, stepchildren, or parents (given that they were dependent on the decedent); any minor that was residing with the decedent for the past 180 days (and who is also financially dependent on the decedent.
For any other questions regarding your right to file a wrongful death claim after the loss of a loved one in a helicopter accident involving a defective Bell 407 helicopter, do not hesitate to contact our attorneys immediately.
Do You Need Help with Funeral Costs?
After the sudden death of a loved one, surviving family members are likely to face many different expenses that could put them in a tough financial spot. If you are worried about how you are going to cover funeral costs, you should really consider contacting us immediately. We can actually help you with covering funeral costs for a helicopter crash. For more information about how we can help you with these sudden costs after the death of a loved one, contact us immediately.
Normandie Law Firm – Helicopter Accident Lawyers
Here at our law firm, we are ready to help you with your helicopter accident claim. Whether you are filing a helicopter injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit, you can trust that our lawyers can help you every step of the way. Our experts can help you fight for your rights and recover the highest settlement available for your lawsuits against Bell Helicopter.
Here at our law firm, we offer free legal services. These services include free consultations and free second opinions. During these services, our expert helicopter accident lawyers will provide you to answer all your questions and address all your concerns to ensure that you have access to all the information that you need to begin or even continue your lawsuit. To benefit from these legal services, contact us immediately.
At Normandie Law Firm, we are proud to offer a Zero-Fee guarantee, so you will not have to pay upfront legal costs. Because we also work on a strict contingency structure, our clients will never have to pay anything until they win their claims. If you do not win, you will not be responsible for paying anything.
To further discuss your legal options with our helicopter injury experts, contact us today. Our lawyers are ready to help you sue Bell Helicopter for the harm resulting from a defective helicopter.
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