Five people were killed when a medical plane crashed in Stagecoach, Nevada earlier this year. The CareFlight air ambulance was transporting a patient, taking off from Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and was on its way to Utah when the accident happened. According to Lyon County officials, the crash occurred late one February evening around 9:15 pm. First responders, both paramedics and firefighters, were called to the crash site to help the victims. All five people onboard the plane died because of the severity of the injuries. The individuals on the plane were identified as a pilot, flight nurse, paramedic, patient, and relatives of the patient. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting an investigation as authorities are yet to identify what caused the plane accident.
Liability in Nevada Plane Crashes
Generally, commercial aviation is an extremely safe way to travel. Over time, there have been many stretches of years where the number of United States commercial flight crashes were zero. On the other hand, smaller planes used in private aviation are often when the majority of plane crashes occur. This is because smaller planes do not have many of the safety features and redundancies that are present in commercial aircraft. By way of example, commercial airplanes typically have two engines and two pilots; smaller aircraft do not.
There are several steps that can be taken to prevent plane crashes, even when traveling in a smaller aircraft. Specifically:
- Regularly inspecting and maintaining aircraft;
- Pilots always performing preflight safety checks;
- Properly training pilots for emergency situations;
- Avoiding flying during periods of excessive fog or poor weather.
Because airplanes are considered “common carriers” in the eyes of the law, the industry is held to a higher standard of care when it comes to the safety of passengers. The FAA mandates airlines exercise extreme vigilance in all aspects of air travel. Depending on the facts behind an aircraft crash, there could be several sources of liability. For example, the airplane manufacturer could have provided a defective product, or the air traffic controller could have provided poor instructions to the pilot.
Investigating a Nevada Plane Crash
There are several steps that must be taken after a plane crash to help determine the cause of the accident. These include:
- Recovering and examining the plane’s black box;
- Reviewing all communication between the pilot and ground control;
- Interviewing any and all eyewitnesses to the plane crash; and
- Studying the maintenance records of the plane involved in the accident.
Plane crashes are often very complicated. Factors that lead up to a plane crash could have occurred just hours or even months before the accident. For these reasons, the general time frame that the FAA takes to fully investigate a plane crash and determine its causes is from six months to one year. The surviving family members of a person who was killed in a plane crash may have a legal right to seek monetary compensation if a wrongful death claim can be established based on the FAA’s findings.
Contact Our Injury Attorneys
The tragic aircraft accident in Stagecoach has forever changed the lives of the victim’s family members and loved ones. The skilled personal injury attorneys at H&P Law understand how difficult it can be for accident victims and survivors to process what just occurred. Our lawyers fight hard to protect the rights of the injured across the state of Nevada and will do the same for you and your loved one. Contact our firm today for an initial consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.
