Airlines Try to Protect Pilots and Other Officials from Flight Accident Related Criminal Cases

International aviation officials are taking a big step to shield pilots and airline officials from criminal proceedings and legal liability stemming from aviation accidents around the world. According to a news report in The Wall Street Journal, experts will discuss these issues during a session in January under the auspices of the United Nations, which would essentially urge countries to adopt standards and laws aimed at preventing the future criminalization of aviation accidents.
Recent Airline Crashes
Several recent airline crashes have sparked criminal cases including the Air France Airbus A330 crash into the Atlantic in June 2009 where all 228 people aboard were killed. The investigation into that accident is still ongoing after three years and authorities are pursuing charges aggressively against aviation officials involved. In certain instances, mechanics and air traffic controllers have also been charged. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, there have been about 17 major passenger jet accidents each year worldwide since 2008.
Airlines’ Duty of Care
Like all mass carriers, airlines owe their passengers the highest duty of care, which means that they are absolutely responsible for the safe transit of passengers. Aviation accidents occur rarely, but when they do occur, a large number of people die or become catastrophically injured. In many air crashes, negligence does prove to be a contributory factor – whether on the part of the pilot, air traffic controller, manufacturer of a defective part or aircraft, or a mechanic who may have not properly inspected the aircraft, etc.
Compensation for Victims and Families
If you or a loved one has been injured in an aviation accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm represented a passenger on an American Airlines flight who was killed when the pilot flew the plane into a mountain. A $400,000 settlement was obtained for the family. Please contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: The Wall Street Journal