Texas Medical Air Ambulance Crash Lawyers
Texas medical air ambulances are specially equipped aircraft, including helicopters and fixed-wing airlines that transport people who have suffered serious illnesses or who have been badly hurt and are in need of medical care.
Unfortunately, sometimes accidents happen with air ambulances, and they cause victims to suffer harm. When this occurs, a Texas medical air ambulance lawyer at Slack Davis can provide invaluable help and support.
Our team includes former pilots and a former NASA aerospace engineer, so we have the knowledge to investigate even the most complicated aviation crash incidents. To find out more about how our firm can help, give us a call or contact us online today.
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What is an Air Ambulance?
An air ambulance is essentially a flying intensive care unit. Air ambulances consist of specially outfitted helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft that are used when a ground ambulance would be too slow, would be impractical given the patient’s condition, or when the patient or care facility would be ineligible for a regular ambulance due to location or other issues.
Air ambulances can include:
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS): HEMS primarily respond to accident scenes or other emergencies, transporting critical patients to nearby hospitals for emergency life-saving care.
- Fixed-wing aircraft: These are airplanes equipped with medical equipment that can be used to transport patients longer distances, such as for an interstate transfer when a patient needs to move to a better-equipped care facility or when a patient suffers an illness or injury internationally and must be relocated closer to their home.
Both types of aircraft should be manufactured, maintained, and flown with a reasonable degree of care to avoid serious risk to those on board.
Who Needs Air Ambulance Service?
Air ambulances are generally used for:
- Patients who are critically ill or injured
- Patients who require a time-sensitive intervention
- Patients who require rapid transport to a Level I or Level II trauma center
- Circumstances where a ground ambulance would be too slow or too dangerous
- Patients in rural or mountainous locations or areas where geographic isolation makes a ground ambulance impractical
Some examples of the types of traumatic injuries that could necessitate transport in an air ambulance include severe burns, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, severe hemorrhaging, trauma that threatens limbs, multiple fractures, cardiac emergencies, and pediatric or neonatal crises.
Air Ambulance Risk and Negligence
Because air ambulances are, by definition, aircraft, there are inherent risks with their operation. Problems can arise as a result of:
- Pilot error
- Poor helicopter or aircraft maintenance or design
- Pressure to fly in bad weather
- Miscommunications or issues with air traffic controllers
When an accident happens involving an air ambulance, patients who are already suffering from critical medical issues could face new medical challenges or could be killed as a result of the incident.
If the incident happened due to negligence on the part of the pilot, the air ambulance owner, the manufacturer, the maintenance crew, air traffic control, or other individuals or entities, it may be possible to take legal action.
Who Can Be Held Liable?
Any defendant whose negligence or wrongdoing played a role in causing an air ambulance accident could potentially be held liable for losses. This can include:
- The pilot: Pilots are responsible if they are negligent or violate safety laws. A pilot who is distracted, intoxicated, fatigued, or who takes dangerous and unnecessary risks could be legally liable if their careless behavior is the cause of the incident.
- Aircraft manufacturers: Manufacturers are expected to ensure that the aircraft they sell are safe. If a manufacturer releases a defective aircraft into the marketplace to be used as an air ambulance, the company can be held liable under product liability laws. Strict liability applies, so it is not necessary to prove negligence — just that the plane was defective when used as intended and the incident occurred as a result.
- Air traffic controllers: Air traffic controllers are expected to ensure the safety of the airways through effective communication with pilots and airport personnel. If an air traffic controller fails in their obligations and causes an air ambulance accident as a result, it is possible that the federal government employing the air traffic controller could be vicariously liable for a resulting accident.
- Maintenance crews: Crews responsible for maintaining the air ambulance can be held responsible if they don’t notice a maintenance issue when they should, fail to fix a maintenance issue with a reasonable degree of care, or otherwise make mistakes in maintaining the plane that cause the accident to occur.
- Air ambulance owners or operators: Those who own the air ambulance service can be vicariously liable for the on-the-job actions of employees, including negligent pilots or maintenance crews. The company can also be responsible if it is negligent because its policies are not reasonable in protecting patients and others traveling while on board.
In some cases, victims may also have a medical malpractice claim if the medical staff on board causes them harm by failure to provide adequate care. This would be an entirely separate type of case from an aviation accident.
How Can Slack Davis Help You?
Slack Davis is committed to fighting for air ambulance accident victims, and we’ll be there for you from day one. We will:
- Identify defendants
- Gather evidence
- Connect with expert witnesses to testify on your claim
- Collect medical records and other evidence to show the extent of your damage
- Obtain evidence from the medical air ambulance provider, such as data from an onboard recorder or maintenance logs
- Negotiate a settlement with those responsible for the accident to try to help you maximize your compensation without the need for court proceedings
- Bring our trial experience to your case to fight for fair compensation in court if no settlement agreement is reached
We have more than 30 years of experience and a long track record of success, and we can put our knowledge to work for you.
Texas Medical Air Ambulance Lawyers Will Fight For You
Slack Davis is here to help you after an aircraft accident involving an air ambulance. To find out more about how our Texas medical air ambulance lawyers can fight for your right to compensation, give us a call at (800) 455-8686 or contact us online today.