You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve recently been injured in an aviation accident in Clearwater, Florida. Through a personal injury claim, you can potentially recover compensation for the costs of medical care, a sudden loss of income, and emotional distress you’ve experienced. The experienced Clearwater aviation accident lawyers at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can help you maximize your recovery.
Since 2001, our law firm has been fiercely advocating on behalf of injured plane accident victims and families whose lives have been turned upside-down by devastating aviation accidents. Collectively, our award-winning litigators have over 119 years of experience navigating tough cases like brain injuries in Clearwater, premises liability, medical malpractice, Clearwater child injuries, workplace accidents, and more.
We’ve helped our clients win tens of millions in settlements and jury verdicts. Now we’re ready to help you get the compensation you need, too. Contact us online or call our law office in Clearwater, FL at (727) 493-4418 to set up a free consultation today.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers. Can Help After an Airplane Accident in Clearwater, FL
What evidence will you need for your aviation accident case? Is it the pilot’s fault, or did someone else contribute to the crash? What happens when you receive a settlement offer that’s worth way less than your airplane accident case is worth?
You shouldn’t have to handle these complicated – but important – issues on your own. Now is the time to focus on your recovery, which is why it’s important to enlist the help of a trusted legal advocate.
That’s where our Clearwater personal injury attorney can help. We’re top-rated Florida trial attorneys with decades of experience. Our goal is simple – to make a genuine impact in the lives of the people we represent. We advocate fiercely to ensure that our client’s rights are respected and that they’re awarded appropriate compensation for their tragic injuries.
Our aviation accident attorneys in Clearwater will take care of your case while you spend time getting better:
- Launch an independent investigation into your airplane accident.
- Review the results of local, state, and/or federal government inquiries.
- Analyze evidence obtained through the discovery process, including black box data, flight logs, aircraft maintenance records, air traffic control communication logs, pilot history, photographs, video footage, witness statements, physical evidence from the scene, medical records, and more
- Establish why the aviation accident happened and who shares responsibility.
- Handle settlement negotiations with the insurance company, airline, defense attorneys, manufacturers, and other parties on your behalf.
We’ll advocate for you aggressively during negotiations, working hard to secure a settlement that accurately reflects what your airplane accident case is worth. If we think you’re getting lowballed, or that we could do better at trial, our accomplished trial lawyers won’t hesitate to bring your case to court.
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers is prepared to exhaust all options to ensure that you’re properly compensated for your airplane accident injuries. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our law office to learn more about our legal services and how we can help you fight back.
We offer a free consultation and represent clients on a contingency fee basis, so there’s no cost to ask for our help unless we win.
Are Airplane Accidents Common?
Generally speaking, commercial airline travel is safe. In fact, the chances of dying in a commercial airline accident are too small to calculate. In 2019, just 20 fatal commercial aviation accidents were recorded worldwide.
However, general aviation accidents are much more common. In 2021, 1,157 general aviation accidents were recorded nationwide. These private aviation accidents caused at least 344 deaths and 221 serious injuries.
That’s roughly 3.16 airplane accidents a day. Someone is injured or killed in a general aviation accident about once every 36 hours.
General aviation accidents can include private jets, helicopters, air taxis, single-prop planes, and corporate jets. They can also include small puddle jumpers and private planes that are used for pleasure, rather than transportation.
Data shows that there are more than 204,000 general aviation aircraft registered in the United States, compared to just 5,800 commercial airliners.
Florida happens to be one of the most popular states to own and operate private aircraft in the nation, third only to California and Texas.
What Causes Most Aviation Accidents in Clearwater?
Pilot error and negligence contribute to roughly 80 percent of all aviation accidents annually.
Some common examples of pilot negligence include:
- Distracted operation
- Inattention
- Improper lookout
- Improper takeoff and landing
- Failure to perform pre-flight checklists
- Operator fatigue
- Drug and alcohol use
- Failing to communicate with air traffic control
- Misuse of instruments
- Failing to build up appropriate speed
In other aviation accidents, factors like negligent aircraft maintenance, runaway hazards, bad weather, defective aircraft, electrical issues, and mechanical problems are contributing factors.
Our aviation accident lawyers in Clearwater will thoroughly investigate your crash to determine why – and how – it happened. We’ll work hard to pinpoint all possible causes so that we can build a more successful claim for damages on your behalf.
Who Could Be Liable If I’m Hurt in a Clearwater Aviation Accident?
While pilots share the lion’s share of the blame for plane accidents in Clearwater, they’re not the only ones who can be liable for resulting damages.
Under Florida state law, liability is shared by anyone who plays a role – whether directly or indirectly – in causing a plane accident.
This might include:
- Commercial airlines
- Flight instructors
- Airports
- Air traffic controllers
- Airport staff
- Aircraft mechanics
- Aircraft manufacturers
- Flight staff
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers will actively and aggressively seek damages from anyone who puts you in harm’s way.
What Damages Are Available to Airplane Accident Victims in Clearwater?
When you file a claim after an airplane accident in Clearwater, FL, you’ll typically be allowed to receive compensation for compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages include:
- Economic damages, which are intended to make up for the financial losses related to your aviation accident, and
- Non-economic damages, are intended to compensate you for the life changes you experience as a plane accident victim.
Potential awards include money for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Disfigurement
- Lost wages and income
- Disability
- Nursing care
- Rehabilitation
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll fight to keep the insurance company from controlling the valuation process. They’ll want to downplay your injuries and the extent to which your aviation accident has affected your life. Our personal injury attorneys in Clearwater will enlist the help of qualified aviation experts and medical specialists. They can help us strengthen our arguments and set you up for maximum financial recovery.
Common Aviation Accident Injuries
Whether you get into an accident while the aircraft is taxiing, while it’s cruising at altitude, or during its final descent and landing, the injuries you sustain can change the course of your life forever.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re here to help you fight to recover compensation that will make a huge impact on your road to recovery.
We represent plane accident victims who have suffered:
- Brain injury
- Severe burns
- Spinal cord injury
- Amputation
- Back injury
- Neck injury
- Crushing injury
- Paralysis
- Chest injury
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a family member
Seek medical treatment immediately and then reach out to our experienced legal team in Clearwater to discuss your legal rights to compensation. We’ll listen to your side of the story, outline your legal options, and help you figure out the best path forward.
What’s the Deadline to File an Aviation Accident Lawsuit in Florida?
For aviation accidents resulting in personal injury or death, victims have two years to seek compensation in a negligence case.
There can be exceptions to this general rule – such as cases involving injuries to minors. Also, accidents that happened before 3/24/23 are subject to a four-year statute of limitations.
It’s important to act within the statute of limitations. Once the time expires, so does your ability to assert your rights and recover the compensation you deserve.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Clearwater Aviation Accident Lawyer
You do not – and should not – have to struggle with the pain and costs of an aviation accident on your own. You got hurt because someone else was negligent, and they should be held fully accountable for the consequences.
Our Clearwater aviation accident lawyers can help to make that a reality for you. We’ll invest 119+ years of experience into your fight for damages, working to ensure that you’re properly compensated for the injuries and suffering you’ve endured.
When you choose Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, you come first. We’ll fight for you as if you were family – so don’t hesitate to contact us at our law office in Clearwater to set up a free consultation today.
Visit Our Law Office In Clearwater, FL
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyer – Clearwater
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D
Clearwater, FL 33764, USA
Phone: (727) 493-4418
Hours: Open 24 Hours Daily
