Crouse Law Offices. International ⁄ National ⁄ Local Accident Litigators

Owner Sued After Man Dies From Dog Bite

The Seattle Times reports the family of a man who died 10 days after being bitten by a dog has sued the dog’s owner. 

According to the family of the victim, the Redbone Coonhound had a history of biting people and was still allowed to roam unleashed.  The owner has denied the dog was off-leash the day he bit the victim. 

The owner and the victim were at a storage facility when the victim was bitten on the finger, drawing blood.  The next day the victim severe pain in his leg and went to the hospital where they found a blood clot in his leg.  Later an infection he developed was diagnose as Capnocytophaga canimorsus sepsis – a bacterium common to cat and dog saliva.  The bacterium led to multiple organ failure and tissue necrosis – a very painful death. 

Although the dog owner contends the dog was in his SUV and the victim reached in the window to pet him, according to state law, a dog’s owner can be held civilly responsible if his or her dog bites someone and the owner knew the dog was potentially dangerous.  The dog has bitten another person earlier the same day and veterinary records show the dog bite people as a puppy. 

When the dog owner’s insurance policies refused to pay the full amount of two policies – about $1.5 million – to the family of the deceased, they decided to sue.

Claim Of Defective Seats Brings Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Honda

A lawsuit has been filed in Texas against Honda Motor Co., Ltd. by the parents of a young woman who died in her 2005 Honda Civic in April of this year, reports the Southeast Texas Record. 

The young woman died when she lost control of her car and skidded off the rain slick road. She hit several trees and even though she was wearing a seatbelt, she was killed when her seat collapsed and she was thrown into the back seat. 

The lawsuit claims the Honda Civic violated the principles of crashworthiness by failing to provide adequate restraint and failed to prevent ejection.  It also claims the car was unreasonably dangerous and defective because the collapsing seat exposed the driver to the risk, hazard and danger of ejection.  Honda is accused of not conducting adequate testing and proper engineering analysis.

Parents of Student Killed By Propeller Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

The parents of a Chinese flight student who was killed when hit by a propeller has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Sierra Academy Aeronautics at Castle Airport, reports the Merced Sun-Star of California. 

In November 2008, the 26-year-old exited a plane before it taxied to a stop running toward the front of the plane and into the turning propeller.  An instructor had checked the weather, endorsed the man’s logbook, and OK’d for a solo flight, but before take-off another student boarded the plane and flew the last leg back to the airport.  The instructor was unaware another student would be on board. The man killed ran from the plane in hopes of not being seen by the instructors at the school.

 The lawsuit claims the school should not have let the man fly without an instructor and that the school acted negligently when it let him fly in bad weather.  

 The NTSB found the incident was caused by the student’s own failure to see the propeller.  Initial investigators thought the incident was partly caused by the two students trying to hide the fact they had piloted the plane together.  Further investigation proved this to be the case.

 This was the first death of this kind in the school’s 44 years of operation.

Wrongful Death

$132M Awarded In Ford Rollover Crash

A Jasper County (Mississippi) jury has awarded the family of a young man killed in a rollover crash in 2001 $132 million – the largest award ever against Ford in a lawsuit involving a Ford Explorer or a Ford Expedition reports the Clarion-Ledger.

The 22-year-old, a Meridian High School standout and a top New York Mets baseball prospect, was killed in March 2001 when he was thrown from a 2001 Ford Explorer.  He was driving to spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fl., when he veered to avoid a vehicle and the Ford SUV rolled over.  The lawsuit blamed the death on a defective seatbelt and the tendency for that model Ford to rollover.  Ford settled for an undisclosed amount in the punitive-damage phase of the lawsuit. 

A passenger in the Ford Explorer received $1.5 million for the injuries he sustained in the crash. 

Ford’s corporate spokesman stated excessive speed and the fact the victim was not wearing a seat belt caused the young man’s death. 

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an $82.6 million verdict awarded to a woman in California who was paralyzed in an Explorer rollover.

At Crouse Law Offices we have vast experience in product liablity and wrongful death.  If you have been injured or have had a loved one  killed due to a defective product, call us at 1-919-861-0500 or contact us online.

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.

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

$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.

Car Crash Wrongful Death Suit Settled For $1.75M

The family of a 14-year -old girl killed in a car crash more than five years ago has settled their wrongful death lawsuit against the family with whom she was visiting for $1.75 million reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

When the 14-year-old’s father dropped is daughter at her friend’s house, he specifically told her friend’s mother she was not to ride in an automobile with a juvenile. He told her “no boys with cars” and was told “not to worry.” Later, the mother told the girls to accept a ride home from the movie theater with a young boy, despite knowing he had a reputation for recklessness. During the ride home, the young girl sent her family a text message she feared for her life.

The Virginia Supreme Court stated that although supervising adults can’t be expected to ensure a child’s welfare, they are liable when they fail to act responsibily.

Wrongful death is a death cause by the carelessness of misconduct of another person or organization – including failure to act to avert a death. The experienced Crouse Law Firm is dedicated to helping families of wrongful death victims. For a free legal consultation, call us today at 919-861-0500 or submit an online form.

Supervising Parents Sued In Child’s Wrongful Death