Crouse Law Offices. International ⁄ National ⁄ Local Accident Litigators

Medical Helicopter Crash In Arkansas – 2nd In As Many Months

An Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 helicopter en route to pick up a traffic accident victim crashed about 4:30 this morning in Scotland, Arkansas about 80 miles north of Little Rock killing all three crew members on board.

 The pilot was flying under visual flight rules and the helicopter was equipped with night vision gear.  It is not thought the pilot was in touch with air traffic controllers at the time of the crash and no distress calls were made.

 Investigators from the FAA and the NTSB are on their way to the crash site.

 According to BNO News, the crew was based in Vilonia, Arkansas.  AirEvac, based in West Plains, Mo. is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service in the U.S. having operations in 14 states.

Air Evac has had several deadly crashes in the last four years killing 9 crew members, reports the Associated Press.  In 2008, a crash in Indiana killed three people.  In 2007, another three-member crew died when their AirEvac helicopter crashed in Alabama. In 2006, a crash in northwest Arkansas killed the three crew members on that Air Evac helicopter.  Last month, an AirEvac helicopter was force to land after the aircraft’s hydraulics failed – no on was injured in this mishap.

The Med Vac crash last month: On July 28, the pilot, flight nurse, and paramedic were killed when their Air Methods LifeNet medical helicopter AS350 B3 Eurocopter crashed in Tucson, AZ.   Although the cause of the crash is not known, a witness said the helicopter’s rotors stopped working and it started plummeting toward the ground.

The crash is being investigated.

With a strong background in helicopters as a pilot, maintenance officer and maintenance test pilot, and a strong background in litigation all over the world against the largest corporate defendants, Crouse Law Offices has the experience and knowledge to know how to succeed and how to win your case.  Please call us at 1-919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

N.C. Couple Receives $1.5M Awarded For Post-Surgery Injury Caused By Hernia Patch

A North Carolina couple has been awarded $1.5 million by a federal jury for injuries the husband suffered when a hernia patch ruptured in his abdomen following surgery, reports The Providence Journal. 

The patch, made by Cranston firm Davol Inc. was implanted in the 52-year-old man in 2005 to repair an abdominal hernia.  The mesh patches are folded in half and inserted behind the hernia through a small incision.  Once inserted it’s supposed to open, but this ring broke under the stress and traveled inside the body, causing swelling, pain and an abscess which had to be drained constantly.  So far he has undergone several surgeries to repair the damage with more expected in the future. He will be able to lift only 5 to 10 pounds for the rest of his life. 

The jury found Doval and its parent company, C.R. Bard Inc., had failed to warn about the dangers of the mesh path and the poor design of the patch was the cause of the couple’s suffering. They awarded $1.3 million to the husband and $200,000 to his wife for the time she spent dressing his wounds.

This case was the second of about 3,000 involving the Kugel Mesh hernia-repair patch made by Davol. 

Defective design, defective manufacture and failure to warn about potential hazards of products are three ways to claim a product is defective.  If you or a loved one suffered a personal injury due to a defective product, contact the experienced attorneys at Crouse Law Firm at 1-919-861-0500 or use our online form.  There is no cost to evaluate your case.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed In Maryland Medical Helicopter Crash

The husband of a medical technician killed when a Maryland State Police helicopter crashed in September 2008 has filed a $7 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government. 

In March, relatives of the paramedic on board filed a $15 million lawsuit.  A personal injury claim for $50 million was filed by the  lone survivor of the crash only to have the FAA deny the claim. 

The helicopter was en route from a traffic accident to a hospital when it was diverted to Andrews Air Force Base because of bad weather.  The pilot had trouble with the foggy weather as he was trying to land and radioed for help twice before crashing 3 miles from the base.  His calls for help were never answered by the air traffic controllers.

The lawsuit claims “negligence” on the part of the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. 

Four of the five on board were killed including one of the traffic accident victims. 

 Helicopter Wrongful Death

Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit In Tesla Motor Co. Plane Crash

The family of a Tesla Motors employee who died in a plane crash in East Palo Alto has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the pilot’s estate.

The parents of the 31-year-old Tesla electrical engineer died in February when the Cessna 310 in which he was a passenger hit high-tension power lines and a 60 foot transmission tower shortly after takeoff.  The plane’s owner/pilot and a senior manager at the electrical car manufacturer were also killed in the crash.

The lawsuit accuses the pilot of negligence for taking off in heavy fog.  Air traffic controllers warned the pilot twice that because of the heavy fog, taking off was “at his own risk.”  Shortly after takeoff, the pilot banked left instead of right as he had been instructed by the controllers.

NTSB has not released a final report concerning the plane crash.

Tesla Motors Wrongful Death Lawsuit

As wrongful death attorneys, Crouse Law Offices have experience dealing with the grief and confusion a family feels following the unexpected and unnecessary death of a loved one.  It is difficult for family to maneuver through the maze of legalities while mourning the loss of their loved one, especially when the death is that of a young father and husband. Please feel free contact us at jtc@crouselaw.com or call us at 1-919-861-0500.

EagleMed Helicopter Crash Kills Two – Helicopter Has History of Crashes

Two people are dead and another in critical condition following an EagleMed 1998 Eurocopter AS-350 helicopter crash in Oklahoma on Thursday.  A witness says the chopper went into a tail spin before clipping the top trees, hitting the ground and bursting into flames.  The pilot and the nurse were killed in the crash – the paramedic was the only survivor. 

NTSB documents show other AS-350 have gone down 58 times in the last five years.  Earlier this year an AS-350 crashed in Tennessee killing the pilot and two nurses.  Although pilot error was found to be the cause of some of the crashes, there is evidence that mechanical error was the cause of other crashes.  EagleMed’s history is much better than the AS-350, with only two accidents in its 30-year history. 

The NTSB works closely with the FAA to determine if there are safety issues that need to be addressed with certain aircrafts or in the industry.  

The preliminary report from the NTSB is expected to be released next week.

Medical Helicopter Crash

Medical Transport Plane Crashes into Lake Michigan

According to CBS News, a Cessna 206 medical transport plane carrying a cancer patient to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota crashed into Lake Michigan.  The plane left Alma – about 150 miles NW of Detroit – and went down off the shore of Ludington on Michigan’s west coast.  Shortly before the crash, the pilot reported a loss of power to the Minneapolis Control Center and was hopeful of a safe return to Ludington.

Carol Freed and her husband, Jerry, owned the plane and often flew people to Mayo on a volunteer basis.  Jerry was rescued about 2 hours after the crash but after 27 hours of continuous searching, the search for the missing four has been called off.

Medical Plane Crashes

United Flight Sends 25 to Hospital

United Flight 967 was en route to Los Angles when it encountered strong enough turbulence over Kansas to injure at least 25 people on board.  The flight had taken off from Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D. C. 

There were 255 passengers and 10 crew members on board the twin-engine Boeing 777.  The plane immediately diverted to Denver to get medical help for the injured.  A spokesperson for United stated she knew of 25 people taken to the hospital but did not know how seriously they were hurt. 

However, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department said about 30 people were injured, one of them seriously.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your airline safety concerns. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an airline accident , please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Airline Injures

$82.5 M Awarded To Blast Victim’s Family

As wrongful death attorneys, Crouse Law Offices have experience dealing with the grief and confusion a family feels following the unexpected and unnecessary death of a loved one.  It is difficult for family to maneuver through the maze of legalities while mourning the loss of their loved one, especially when the death is that of a young father and husband. Please feel free contact us at jtc@crouselaw.com or call us at 1-919-861-0500.

The Star-Telegram reports the family of a 27-year-old man who died of injuries suffered in an explosion at a natural gas processing plant has been awarded $82.5 million by a Harris County (Texas) jury. 

In May, 2007, the young man was injured when a hot-oil treater exploded and he died at the hospital the next day.  The award will go to his widow and the couple’s three young children including a son born shortly after his father died. 

Exterran Energy Solutions L.P of Houston – formerly Hanover Compression L.P. – will be liable for the damages if the award is upheld.  The plant, built by Hanover, is owned by Fort Worth-based Quicksilver Resources, a natural gas producer.  

The jury found Hanover was grossly negligent and 90% responsible for the accident and Quicksilver was 10% responsible but not guilty of gross negligence.  Quicksilver was not responsible for any monetary damages because the company provided workers’ compensation insurance for its employees.  The young man was a Quicksilver employee.

Former Employees Sue International Paper Over Hearing Loss

Louisiana’s The Town Talk reports more than 150 former employees are suing the Pineville Mill of IP for $50,000 each for hearing loss suffered on the job.

The lawsuit alleges the workers were exposed to loud noises caused by permanent defects in the facility where they worked and that International Paper was negligent because the injuries were entirely preventable had proper safety procedures been practiced by the company.   The lawsuit also claims IP was aware of the danger of hearing loss but withheld the information from the employees.

The damages are sought for pain, suffering, and medical bills related to the hearing loss.

When a person is injured in his or her body, mind, or emotions and that injury is caused by the wrongful actions or negligence of another party, that person or company can be held responsible for the suffering and financial loss they have caused, including medical bills and loss of wages. 

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another let the experience of Crouse Law Offices work for you.  Call us at 1919-861-0500 or contact online.  There is no case review cost.

Cockpit Fire Forces United Airlines Plane To Make Emergency Landing

United Airlines Flight 27 from New York to Los Angeles made an emergency landing at Virginia’s Dulles International on Sunday due to a fire in the cockpit.  The fire was extinguished prior to landing and no injuries were reported. 

For a long time, the Boeing 757 has had known problems with the heating system in a cockpit window and investigators are looking into whether this was a factor in the fire.

 One of the passengers, sitting in the second row, stated she smelled smoke about 30 minutes into the flight and then the cockpit door opened and the captain requested a fire extinguisher.  The first cabin filled with smoke.

After landing at Dulles, the passengers remained seated until a firefighter came on board to open the cockpit door.  Once the door was open, the passengers were able to see the windshield was completely cracked and shattered.

 The NTSB is investigating to determine it this incident was due to a recurring problem involved in previous 757 cockpit fires, or a new issue.  In 2007, the NTSB recommended to the FAA that airlines be required to replace the heat terminal block on all Boeing 747s, 757s, 767s, and 777s. 

In March of 2008, the FAA proposed a rule that gave airlines a choice of regularly inspecting the heat terminal blocks or replacing then – the Boeing 747 was not included in the FAA proposed order.  The airlines strongly opposed the order and it hasn’t been made final even though the FAA said in 2008 it was aware of nine incidents of electrical arcing at the terminal blocks and “more than one incident” of open flames.

All planes made since 2005 have used a different wiring system which Boeing is confident has solved the problem.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your airline safety concerns. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an airline accident , please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

United Airline Cockpit Fire