A large number of people across the globe depend on airplanes and other types of air transport. You can go virtually anywhere in an aircraft. Through commercial, private, or chartered flights, you can travel to locations thousands of miles away within a short amount of time. Like all other methods of transportation, however, air travel involves a few risks. The aircraft faces many dangers while traveling at incredible statures and velocities, so safety is always an issue. Aviation lawyers and other legal professionals make sure to watch out for aircraft safety because of these risks.
Air Travel Regulations
There are many laws and regulations in place to help guarantee safety in air travel. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, created in 1944, contains all of these laws. It also established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which makes sure the different individuals from the United Nations abide by these regulations. The ICAO also updates the Convention to stay aware of the changes and advancements in aviation. In the course of recent years, the ICAO updated the Convention more than eight times.
Everything related to aviation accidents and accident investigations are in Annex 13 of the Convention. This annex defines air accidents, gives guidelines to accident investigations, and outlines the aircraft passengers' rights.
The vast majority are unfamiliar with these aviation laws, and only take an opportunity to learn about them when an accident happens. You should familiarize yourself with these laws regardless of whether you, or your friends and family, have never been in an aviation accident. These laws don't simply cover accidents; they also cover aircraft operation guidelines and other relevant business regulations. If you have difficulty understanding all these laws all alone, asking a reliable aviation injury lawyer to explain them to you may help.
Defining an Aviation Accident
The principal thing that strikes a chord when discussing aviation accidents are probably those tremendous, commercial aircraft crashes you frequently see on TV or in films. These crashes may be the most popular and most discussed kind of aircraft accidents, but the Convention includes other mishaps in their definition of aviation accidents. These may involve private planes, worker planes, or even helicopters.
The Convention defines an aviation accident as an in-flight accident that involves at least one of the following:
1. The aircraft becoming inaccessible or going missing
2. An individual or a gathering of individuals sustaining genuine or fatal injuries straightforwardly caused by being in contact with or riding in the aircraft
3. The aircraft suffering from structural damage or framework failure
Why You Need a Lawyer
Looking for an aviation lawyer or injury lawyer is important if one of your friends and family was involved in an aircraft accident, especially if they bite the dust or end up with permanent handicaps because of the accident.
In-flight accidents usually happen because of a company's or an individual's carelessness. An aircraft may malfunction if its crewmembers failed to abide by safety guidelines. An aircraft could be a damaged item neglected by its manufacturer. Identifying whose fault the accident was is a major task for your aviation lawyer. When the culprit is identified, your injury lawyer can build your case and make sure the careless party is punished appropriately.