Legal Options After Common Carrier Accidents

Legal Options After Common Carrier Accidents

Tragedy struck this past Fourth of July weekend when Asiana Flight 214 from South Korea to San Francisco crashed upon landing.  While no definitive opinion as to the cause of the crash has yet been offered, preliminary reports indicate that human error may have been involved.

When human or mechanical error cause a common carrier accident on land, at sea, or in the air, the injured passengers and the estates of any individuals killed in the accident may have grounds to bring a lawsuit against the carrier, the airport or transportation terminal, the manufacturer, maintainer, or seller of the vessel/transport/aircraft, and any other parties whose negligence caused or contributed to the accident.

Often, these cases involve parties who are from different states or countries, thus it is imperative that the lawsuit be filed in the appropriate jurisdiction.  Claims can range from simple negligence, to products liability, wrongful death and survivorship, among others.  Because different jurisdictions have different statutes of limitations and applicable laws, it is advisable under these circumstances to seek legal counsel as early as possible.