Aviation
Aviation crashes pose unique challenges for the personal injury litigator. Any aviation lawsuit may well involve more than one state's law or court system, and numerous complex choices and decisions have to be made to maximize the client's recovery.
As soon as we are hired by a client in an aviation case, we begin to conduct an independent investigation of the crash. Often this investigation involves examining the wreckage and conducting our own interviews with eye witnesses. It is vital to start this process as early as possible. Over time, evidence is lost and memories fade.
After we determine the cause of the crash, the next step is to attempt to negotiate a settlement of the case with the insurance company for the at fault party or parties. As part of this process, we prepare a detailed damages package illustrating how the crash has changed our client's life. In the case of an air crash survivor, we document the medical treatment received and the ways in which those injuries have altered the survivor's life. When we represent the estate of an air crash victim, we provide a complete description of the victim's life to show how the loss has affected the family. The negotiations can take anywhere from several weeks to several months depending upon the position of the insurance company and the goals of our clients. Throughout the process we keep our clients informed of our progress.
If negotiations fail to produce a client's desired results, we proceed to litigation. At this point there are a number of complex choices that must be made. The first decision is to be made is where to file the case. Since aviation crashes often involve parties with connections to several states, we always thoroughly research the law for all possible forums for the litigation. We then advise our client of the pros and cons of the various state or federal courts where the litigation can be brought. The initial choice of forum often has a significant impact on the outcome of the case. Since some states have caps on damages and other limitations on what may be introduced in evidence, the choice of where it is filed can greatly affect our client's recovery.
Most importantly we keep our clients up to date on the status of their cases and expedite the process toward a final resolution.