Aircraft are crucial for safety, maintenance, and transport in the local maritime and oil rig industries. Getting people and supplies to remote platforms and vessels in the Gulf of Mexico is a logistical challenge met by planes, drones, and helicopters.
The use of aircraft supports maritime operations but also adds to the injury count of seafaring and oil rig workers. Accidents involving aircraft are usually devastating to the injured party, who can fall from a great height or be hit by flying metal. Injured people have the right to pursue financial compensation with help from an experienced personal injury attorney. When you are injured in a plane, helicopter, or drone crash, a Cut Off aviation accident lawyer could help you get the money you need to get back on your feet.
Airplanes
Maritime and oil rig operations use fixed-wing aircraft for surveillance, sea rescue missions, and reports about weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Planes monitor shipping lanes and detect illegal activities. Accidents can occur when planes are improperly maintained, manufactured or designed with flaws, or because of pilot error.
Injuries from airplane accidents are almost always catastrophic or deadly. They can include:
- Burns
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Disfigurement
- Emotional distress
- Back and spinal cord trauma
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
When injuries end in death, the family of the deceased person may be able to collect for their emotional suffering and the final expenses they incurred. When the wrongful death concerns a maritime worker, a claim may fall under the Death on the High Seas Act. Talk to a Cut Off aviation accident attorney at Scott Vicknair to discuss your situation.
Helicopters
Because helicopters take off and land in confined spaces, they are regularly used in the maritime and oil drilling industries to transport people and supplies to vessels and offshore oil and gas platforms. They also participate in tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
Helicopters are difficult to fly, especially in bad weather, making human error one of the most common reasons for accidents. When a pilot acts recklessly, such as choosing to fly in bad weather after being warned not to, passengers could hold that pilot responsible for their injuries under the doctrine of negligence.
An aviation accident attorney in Cut Off must prove the pilot had a duty to keep passengers safe, breached that duty by acting in a way a reasonable person would not act, and caused an accident with injuries.
Drones
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are more commonly called drones. Drones also transport supplies to offshore platforms and vessels and participate in offshore inspections. They can assess oil rigs with their Visual Detection and Ranging technology (VIDAR), which helps keep them maintained and safe.
The Federal Aviation Authority oversees manned and unmanned aircraft. It keeps a special eye on drones because many hobbyists now fly them for entertainment and can put unsuspecting people in danger when they are careless. Out-of-control drones have fallen on or crashed into people, causing severe injuries such as head trauma and lacerations from flying metal.
Drone pilots who injure others should be held responsible for their actions. An aviation accident lawyer in Cut Off could help you obtain financial compensation to cover your medical bills and time off work.
Work With an Aviation Accident Attorney in Cut Off
Aviation accidents are overwhelmingly catastrophic because the craft involved operates high above the land and sea, making you vulnerable to falls or to being hit by falling debris. Aerial vehicles have contributed to safety and efficiency in the maritime and oil industries, but people still get injured.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, filing a negligence lawsuit may be the answer. When you are injured, a Cut Off aviation accident lawyer at Scott Vicknair could go to work for you. You only pay when we win your case. Contact us today to learn more.
