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November 5, 2014 |

LOCAL JET CRASH CREATES SEVERAL POTENTIAL CAUSES OF ACTION FOR DAMAGES

A jet crashed into a house just outside of Midway Airport in Metro Chicago. The resident of the home were unharmed, but the situation was still tragic. This unfortunate incident illustrates the potential complexity of an injury accident. When an unexpected event intervenes in your life, you should talk to an Illinois personal injury attorney who can help sort out your case.

Neighborhood residents near Midway Airport awoke to a powerful explosion late at night in the 6500 block of South Knox Avenue. A twin-engine cargo jet was originally bound from Midway to Chicago Executive Airport, but its flight plan was changed at the last minute to the Ohio State University Airport. Along the way, the plane experienced engine trouble, and the pilot tried to return to Midway.

The plane crashed into a house just a few seconds short of reaching the runway. Inside the home, an 82-year-old woman and an 84-year-old man were asleep when the explosive sound of a plane ripping through their house startled them both awake. Half of the home was destroyed, with the plane’s wreckage plunging through the roof and into the basement.

The aircraft missed the elderly residents by mere inches. While fire trucks arrived, concerned neighbors rushed to the home in an effort to help. According to recent reports, there is an effort to recover the pilot’s body, but he is presumed dead.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigate all air crashes that occur in the United States. Aircraft accidents are especially complex, and they can involve a wide range of contributing factors. The residents of the demolished home have already filed a lawsuit, and as new evidence emerges there may be other lawsuits from several potential litigants.

The pilot of the aircraft appears to have perished in the crash, but depending on the evidence that emerges the pilot’s family could sue under Illinois wrongful death statute. It may be shown that the cargo company, the plane manufacturer, or an aircraft maintenance crew was negligent, since all three entitles have responsibilities to ensure the safe operation of the plane. If these entities failed in their duties, the pilot’s family can sue in a wrongful death negligence case.

Negligence is when a person or company owes a duty to protect someone and fails in that duty, causing harm. Normally, the pilot may have a potential negligence lawsuit if the crash was caused by someone’s negligence, but because the pilot passed away Illinois law allows certain family members to sue in the pilot’s stead.

The Illinois wrongful death statute is designed to allow family members to step into the shoes of their departed relative and sue over a death that was caused by another person’s negligence. The family can collect damages for the pilot’s personal injuries and suffering, as well as their own individual suffering from having lost their loved one’s emotional and financial support.

The elderly homeowners may have a negligence claim that could allow them to sue to recover losses related to the incident. Their house is obviously in shambles, and they probably lost mementos and other precious items that cannot be replaced. Depending on the evidence that emerges, the elderly residents may have a negligence cause of action against the pilot, the cargo company, the aircraft manufacturer, or the maintenance company. They may be able to recover money for their lost home and valuables, as well as compensation for their sleepless nights and the emotional distress that the incident has caused them

Accidents can strike in the most unexpected ways, and accident victims need to move quickly to secure their claim against the person or entity that caused the harm. If you’ve been injured in Illinois, you should discuss your case with the knowledgeable personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Cavanagh Sorich Law Group.

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