Crouse Law Offices. International ⁄ National ⁄ Local Accident Litigators

Widows Call For Pro-Active Helicopter Safety

Three widows whose husbands were killed in a helicopter crash March 12, 2009 are asking for a more pro-active approach of helicopter safety, not a reactive one. The offshore workers, who died when the Cougar helicopter crashed, did not have to lose their lives that morning – the crash was preventable say their widows.

On January 20, 2009, Sikorsky issued an alert service bulletin advising specific titanium mounting studs be replaced with steel studs. Failure to do so could result in oil leaking out of the gear box. Minutes before the crash, the pilot of Cougar Flight 491 reported an oil-pressure problem. Cougar Helicopters flies offshore workers to and from the oilfields off Newfoundland.

The company has testified the alert bulletin was reviewed and the ordered parts began to arrive on March 13 – the day after the crash.

The three widows testified at an inquiry into the crash and stated they feel the company should have waited until after the bolts were replaced before flying the helicopters, especially after a helicopter was forced to land in July of 2008 due to the same problem.

There was only one survivor in the March helicopter crash. Taking the time to fix this inexpensive part or thoroughly checking the bolts – where there was a known problem – before leaving for the offshore sight could have saved the lives of these men.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, regardless of the type of aircraft or where the accident occurred. Experience means knowing the equipment, how to succeed – and how to win. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Offshore Helicopter Crash

Texas Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Toyota

KTRK in Houston reports the husband of a woman killed in a 2009 crash when the gas pedal of her Toyota Corolla malfunctioned is suing the automaker claiming Toyota knew there was a problem, but did not act quickly enough to fix it.

In December, the wife and mother of two was killed instantly when her car raced through a stop sign and crashed into a concrete wall. Her model car later appeared on Toyota’s recall list to fix the problems with the accelerators.

The lawsuit against Toyota, the gas pedal manufacturer, and the local Toyota dealership alleges gross negligence claiming the defective pedal existed at the time the car left the manufacturer.

Crouse Law Offices have the technical and legal abilities to handle negligence and product liability cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident caused by a faulty product, please call Crouse Law at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Toyota Wrongful Death Lawsuit

U.S. Safety Officials Review Toyota Electronics

Toyota’s electronic throttle systems are cited in seven lawsuits as a possible cause of the sudden acceleration in Toyota’s vehicles, reports Bloomberg, causing the U.S. safety officials to examine this electronic system as well as that of other automakers.

Although Toyota has ruled out electronics as the culprit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated one of the dynamics in question is whether electromagnetic interference from power lines could affect the computerized systems in today’s vehicles.

As of February 1, Toyota has begun shipping steel plates to U.S. dealers to fix the problem of the gas pedals sticking. The president of Toyota’s U.S. sales stated they know what the problem is and they have the fix.

As of November, 2009, one safety consultant reported more than 2,000 incidents involving the Toyota gas pedal resulting in 16 deaths and 243 injuries.

Crouse Law Offices have the technical and legal abilities to handle negligence and
product liability cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident caused by a faulty product, please call Crouse Law at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Toyota Gas Pedal Accidents

Safety Reform Slow After Buffalo Plane Crash

On February 12, 2009, 50 people died in a fiery plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y. as a result of the pilots of the regional airliner making critical errors. Almost a year later, safety reforms have not been implemented even though Federal regulators and lawmakers promised quick action immediately following the plane crash.

The crash brought to light a safety gap between the major airlines and the regional carriers. Some of the concerns are fatigue among the pilots of low-fare airlines, long-distance commutes and inadequate training. Pilot performance has been a factor in three of the last six fatal domestic airline accidents involving regional carriers. Investigators have determined the cause of the Buffalo crash to be primarily the errors made by the pilots.

According to the Washington Post, the National Transportation Safety Board is meeting to determine the probable cause of the N.Y. crash and to make safety recommendations, stating the safety issues raised by the crash go beyond the pilots’ mistakes.

The House has passed legislation to force the FAA to strengthen regulations, but action has been slowed by unrelated Senate disputes.

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.

Buffalo Plane Crash

Newfoundland Helicopter Crash Lawsuit Setted

In March of 2009, seventeen people perished in a helicopter crash off the coast of Newfoundland. The Sikorsky S-92A helicopter was making an emergency return to St. John’s airport when it plunged into the ocean, killing all on board.

In June, a lawsuit was filed against Sikorsky, Keystone Helicopters and United Technologies Corp. alleging there were obvious safety concerns and a Transportation Safety Board reports the helicopter’s tail rotor gears had been damaged and may have caused the pilots to lost control of the aircraft.

In July, the sides entered into discussions to settled the case, but are not releasing details of the settlement.

Families of the victims said their goal was also to get answers as to the caused of the crash in an effort to prevent this from happening again.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, regardless of the type of aircraft or where the accident occurred. Experience means knowing the equipment, how to succeed – and how to win. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Settlement in Helicopter Crash

United Airlines Airbus 319 Landing Gear Collapses at Newark

As the industry questions the cause of the landing gear malfunction at Newark Liberty International Airport, no injuries have been reported.

The passengers had go crouch down in their seats and prepare for a crash landing. The crew was able to bring the airliner to a safe belly landing and all 48 passengers and 5 crew members slid down emergency chutes to safety once the plane came to a stop.Some passengers report the landing was smoother that other landings they have experienced at Newark.

The trouble became apparent when Flight 634 from Chicago was on its descent to the Newark airport. The passengers were aware of trouble when the plane pulled up and started to circle the airport instead of landing. The pilot then announced there was a problem with the landing gear and they should brace themselves for a crash.

An investigation is underway.

United Airline Landing

American Airlines Overshot Runway In Jamaica

According to Jamaica’s Civil Aviation Authority, the American Airlines Boeing 737 that crash-landed at the international airport in Kingston overshot the runway. The flight originated at Washington’s Regan National Airport and has stopped in Miami, Florida before traveling on to Jamaica.

The airliner was going about 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) per hour when its wheels touched the runway and then bounced as it tried to stop. The crash-landing caused the fuselage to crack open and the engines to detach from the aircraft on impact.

Several of the 154 passengers and crew were injured, but there were no fatalities in the incident.

American Airline Crash

Safety Changes May Have Prevented Float Plane Crash

The Canadian Press reports Transport Canada was aware of the dangers for passengers on submerged float planes years before the deaths of six people in November.

Transport Canada chose to investigate further rather than heed the warnings of various reports and studies which made safety recommendations concerning life vests and quick-release doors.A 2008 internal government memo stated safety changes should be put on hold in “deference to other civil aviation priorities.”

A federal government safety review was launched in 2005 after several float plane accidents and completed in 2006. The subsequent report recommended life vests be worn and doors left unlocked during takeoff and landings and that cargo and luggage doesn’t interfere with people trying to get out of the plane.

Although it is not yet known if these changes would have saved the lives of those who perished in November, all bodies removed were still inside the plane and none were wearing life vests.

Float Plane Crash

Deadline Set For $11.4M “Final Season” Deadly Helicopter Crash Lawsuit

A judge in Polk County, Iowa has set a date for all parties involved in an $11.4 million lawsuit following a deadly helicopter crash to settle the case through mediation.

In June 2006, a helicopter used in the filming of the high school baseball movie, ‘Final Season’, hit a power line and crashed killing a cameraman and injuring the pilot and film producer.

A Polk County jury has awarded $7.2 million to the widow of the cameraman and $4.2 million to the producer, stating the pilot and two other producers were at fault in the helicopter crash.

Crouse Law Offices has vast experience in the field of Aviation Law. Mr. Crouse is a qualified Army helicopter pilot and has the experience and knowledge needed to competently handle your helicopter case. If you have been injured or have had a loved one killed in a helicopter crash, call our offices at 1-919-861-0500 or contact us online for a free evaluation of your case.

‘Final Season’ Helicopter Crash

Dangers At Newark Airport

The unsafe landing procedures have been revealed at New Jersey’s Newark Airport because the air traffic controllers who cared more about passenger safety than their jobs.

The controllers knew that landing planes on intersecting runways at the same time risked lives and when the FAA ignored them, they turned to the news media for help. All they wanted the FAA to do was to help them do their job – to keep airplanes from colliding. Even after several close calls, the FAA tried to keep the controllers quiet, accused of caring more about capacity than safety.

The Department of Transportation Inspector General confirmed the landing on intersecting runways at Newark created “unnecessary flight hazards” and faults the FAA for being slow to respond. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith states the slow response to prevent a catastrophe could have killed hundreds if not thousands. The Office of Special Counsel blasted the FAA for not going far enough an for allowing “a potential danger to the flying public to persist.”

The FAA plans to start up an automated system to help air traffic controllers separate plane on intersecting runways on December 14th.