People across Georgia are riveted to their TVs and other devices when disaster strikes. When a commercial airliner crashes and the victims number in the hundreds, national and international news coverage impresses viewers with details about the injuries the passengers suffered. You may remember thinking how fortunate you were not to be on that plane.
However, your luck ran out on your recent flight. Perhaps because it wasn’t a jet airliner, your story didn’t make the news. Nevertheless, your suffering is just as real. Like the victims and families of an internationally covered airline accident, you have just as much right to know what caused your plane to come down.
The plane isn’t always to blame
Surviving a plane crash is often miraculous. You may credit the pilot and crew for their skill in bringing the plane down with the least possible damage. However, human error is often the ultimate cause of such catastrophes. In fact, mistakes by pilots account for 50 percent of today’s aviation accidents.
For some employed in the airline industry, their jobs require them to work long, strenuous hours with little sleep. Sleep deprivation in any job increases the likelihood of making mistakes. Those who are responsible for the safe operations of your aircraft include:
- Air traffic controllers
- Maintenance engineers
- Dispatchers
- Fuelers
- Loaders
Ten percent of airplane disasters are weather-related. The decision to fly in bad weather is based on many factors. Underestimating those factors can lead to tragedy.
While human error accounts for most plane crashes, 20 percent of aircraft accidents are the result of equipment malfunctions. Inaccurate instrumentation, poorly manufactured parts and faulty designs have caused numerous catastrophic incidents.
Seeking restitution
The most common cause for planes leaving the sky is human error. Either your pilot made a crucial miscalculation or someone on the ground contributed to the failure of the aircraft. Despite the improvements made since the dawn of aviation, a great deal in travel still depends on people doing their jobs with attention to detail. When lives are in the balance, those details can mean the difference between life and death.
If you have suffered an injury in an aviation accident, it is likely devastating, perhaps disabling. However, where do you begin to seek the compensation your need to fully recover, both physically and emotionally, from the traumatic event? The first step may be speaking with a compassionate attorney who has successfully represented many who suffered injuries in plane crashes and other catastrophic events.
