Helicopter Crashes

Though less frequent than plane crashes, helicopter crashes often result in severe consequences due to their typically lower altitudes and challenging terrain. By leveraging our extensive experience in aviation law, Presley & Presley strives to secure just compensation for our clients' physical, emotional, and economic suffering.

Legal Challenges in Helicopter Crash Cases

Nearly 10,000 helicopters are in use across the United States, and each one must be piloted by a licensed individual who is skilled in safely operating these unique aviation machines. In addition to the specific skills required of a helicopter pilot, rotary aircraft require meticulous maintenance, and there is little room for errors caused by malfunctioning or defective components.When disaster strikes, a helicopter crash can result in catastrophic injuries, severe burns, and fatalities. In the majority of cases, life-altering injuries and loss of life in these accidents can be traced back to some form of negligence, and those liable need to be held accountable. Getting the help of an experienced helicopter crash lawyer who is well-versed in aviation law with Presley & Presley is crucial for ensuring justice in cases involving gross negligence that has ruined lives.

Why Consult with a Kansas City Expert in Aviation Accidents?

Kirk Presley has decades of nationwide trial experience representing clients involved in aviation accident cases including helicopter crashes. As an example, Kirk served as lead discovery counsel for one of our clients who won a $12,000,000 settlement following a LifeNet helicopter crash in Clay County, Missouri, after the helicopter ran out of fuel while the pilot was texting during flight. While our offices are headquartered in Kansas City, we handle cases regionally and throughout the U.S. Schedule a consultation today to discuss your case and what partnering with us can mean for you. We handle helicopter crash cases involving:

Helicopter Tour Companies
Helicopter Charter Companies (serving celebrities and business executives)
Medical Helicopters (such as Med-Trans, LifeNet)
Corporate Helicopter Fleets
And Others

Common Factors in Helicopter Accident Cases

Because helicopters require deft piloting and have unique attributes such as controlling the main rotor in coordination with the tail rotor, flight at lower altitudes and other specifics, it is a more challenging aircraft to fly than fixed-wing craft. When an accident occurs, our helicopter crash attorney employs expert investigators and specialists in this field of rotary-powered aviation to determine how and why the crash occurred and who is liable—whether it was the pilot, maintenance crew, manufacturer or others involved. Some common sources of negligence resulting in a helicopter accident include:

Pilot Error: Misjudging flying conditions, failure to follow procedures, flying in non-VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions when not rated for or inexperienced in IFR (Instrument Flying Rules), choosing unsafe routes, flying too close to wires, canyon walls, towers, buildings, etc.
Faulty Maintenance or Repair: Failure to properly maintain the helicopter to make sure it is airworthy, up to date on scheduled maintenance, properly repaired, etc.
Defective Equipment: Manufacturing defects or improperly assembled parts/missing parts, etc.
Fueling Issues: Incorrect fueling procedures, contaminated fuel, fuel leaks, etc. resulting in unexpectedly running out of fuel or explosions.

Choose Presley & Presley for a Seasoned Helicopter Crash Attorney that will get Justice for You

At Presley & Presley, it is not just about winning; our experienced personal injury team have a mission to help people who have been the victim of negligence and then take it a step further to make communities safer by working to change laws and policies so the same form of negligence doesn’t claim more lives. We are proud of our award-winning skill in handling insurance bad faith and catastrophic injury cases against even the largest corporations and insurance companies. Our representation as leaders in our field was earned through diligent, tenacious and effective legal skills which we are active in sharing with other legal professionals in personal injury law so they can be strong, successful advocates for their clients. Referring attorneys and clients know that partnering with us means creating an indominable team that insurance agency boards can’t ignore. In fact, it is common that an insurer trying to rush a pitifully small settlement starts making offers that make sense in proportion to the damages done when they find out that Presley & Presley are on the case. They know that we are fierce litigators when it comes to facing us in court.

Make Sure You have an Expert in Aviation Law on Your Side in a Helicopter Crash Case

Contact our offices in Kansas City today to schedule a free initial consultation with a helicopter crash lawyer at Presley & Presley. We are a small, powerful firm with the resources, experience and skill to handle even the most complicated cases nationwide. Our size allows us give full attention and individualized representation in order to fulfill our mission to get just maximal compensation for clients whose lives have been forever altered by the negligence of others.