Helicopter Accidents

Helicopters can be an excellent way to go sightseeing in a city or to travel to locations that are hard to reach by road. Hospitals, police officers, and news crews frequently rely on helicopters to transport patients quickly, track criminals from the air, or assess a news story from above. They are also used by firefighters to spray water from above when trying to control a forest fire or a spreading fire from a large building. While helicopters have many advantages over other forms of transportation, they can also be prone to accidents because of the way that they are designed.

A helicopter’s flight relies on just two blades to stay elevated: the main rotor and the tail rotor. When either of these fails, it significantly throws off the balance of the helicopter and can cause it to spin out of control and crash. Even a small amount of debris hitting a blade on the rotor, such as a bird that accidentally hits the blade, could send the helicopter plummeting. Helicopters are therefore much more delicate and prone to accident than are airplanes, with a 90% higher crash rate than planes.

Depending on the severity of the accident, a helicopter crash may result in severe life-threatening injuries or wrongful death. While some accidents are unavoidable, others may be caused by pilot error, parts defects, or other acts of negligence. In these cases, someone may be liable for the accident and the victims and their families may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages from time off of work, funeral costs, therapy, and pain and suffering.

Contact Us

If you or someone you love has been involved in a helicopter accident, don’t hesitate to contact experienced Austin personal injury lawyer Vic Feazell, P.C. today at 877-948-4842