Four Dead After Helicopter Crash in East Downtown
Investigators believe that a tourist helicopter hit a cable moments before it smashed into a radio tower, killing all four people on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a social media post that it was investigating the crash of the Robinson R44 II helicopter, which took off from Ellington Field. The private helicopter with four people on board, including a child, either struck a cable or the tower, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said at the news conference.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire added that while area residents were safe, there was a “terrible accident scene” with multiple fatalities and the tower and helicopter were destroyed. Some area residents lost power. The crash site is “surrounded by residences and that’s where we were very fortunate — that it didn’t topple in one direction or another,” Whitmire noted.
Aviation Crashes
For many years, serious aviation crashes were almost commonplace. For the most part, pilots were very inexperienced. Furthermore, to many aviation companies, passenger speed and comfort were more important than passenger health and safety.
These wrecks are very uncommon today, mostly thanks to engineering advances. But the underlying problems remain. Between 2002 and 2020, so many people traveled by air that helicopters and airlines could barely keep up with the increased demand. Furthermore, the aforementioned drive to prioritize speed and comfort over health and safety remains.
Then as now, the same basic circumstances usually cause helicopter and airplane crashes, especially in Texas. These causes include:
- Pilot Error: The most common cause of aviation crashes usually includes inexperience, poor judgment, and poor decision-making. Furthermore, many pilots take an overconfident “I’ve got this” approach to problems they cannot handle alone.
- Mechanical Failure: Most aircraft fly an insane amount of miles and take a tremendous pounding. Mechanical failures can be caused by a number of things, including faulty design, improper maintenance, or a part that wasn’t installed correctly.
- Air Traffic Controller Errors: In many ways, an air traffic controller is a pilot that flies multiple aircraft at the same time. The job requires constant, intense concentration. The mental burden of this responsibility is often too much to bear.
Aviation crashes are especially common among small aircraft, such as helicopters, flying out of small airports, like a helipad. These facilities and machines don’t have the same quality equipment and people as large jets and airports.
Aviation crashes usually cause fatal injuries. People rarely survive these wrecks, which are almost always preventable. Furthermore, in the moments before their deaths, these victims experience unbelievable pain and suffering.
As a result of all these things, a Sugar Land personal injury lawyer can usually obtain substantial compensation in court. An out-of-state holding company usually owns the aircraft or airport responsible for the wreck.
That point is important because most aviation crashes occur in the few moments after takeoff or the few moments prior to landing.
The Civil Claims Process
If an out-of-state holding company is financially responsible for damages, a Missouri City personal injury lawyer can usually obtain additional compensation. However, such claims are extremely complex.
The complexity begins almost immediately after an attorney files legal paperwork. Insurance company lawyers often earn more than $1,500 per hour. To defend their clients’ interests, and to run up their bills, they usually file procedural motions, trying to block the victim/plaintiff’s claim. Only a well-prepared lawyer overcomes these obstacles and moves the claim to the next phase.
This next phase is usually an information exchange phase. Both sides must put their cards face up on the table. So, if a lawyer was bluffing, the bluff no longer works. Bluffing might work in Texas Hold ‘Em, but it never works in personal injury cases.
Only the most solid cases make it to the next phase, which is usually mediation. A professional mediator supervises settlement negotiations and encourages or compels the two sides to reach an agreement. The average lawyer-negotiated settlement is over three times larger than the average nonlawyer-negotiated settlement.
Work With a Confident Fort Bend County Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.
Source:
ems1.com/vehicle-crashes/4-killed-when-helicopter-crashes-into-houston-radio-tower
