American Airlines Flight 587 On Nov. 12, 2001, American Airlines flight 587 crashed shortly after take-off from New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport. The Airbus A300, en route to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, struck a residential neighborhood in Belle Harbor, Queens, killing all onboard as well as several people on the ground.The personal injury lawyers at Dankner Milstein, P.C., successfully represented several families that lost relatives in this tragic accident and brought claims against both American Airlines and Airbus, the aircraft’s manufacturer. Our attorneys were present at the National Transportation Safety Board hearings in Washington, D.C., and traveled to the Dominican Republic to ensure that all of our clients’ needs were met.
Through hard work and dedication, we were able to obtain significant settlements for the families, though the amounts remain confidential as part of the settlement agreement.
Warsaw Convention (Montreal Convention) Litigation
Our law firm was recently successful in representing a passenger on a jetliner who was injured after the plane encountered light to moderate turbulence.
In a landmark decision and major victory for airline passengers following arguments before the United States 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, the court held that whether turbulence constitutes an accident is a fact-specific inquiry that should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The court reversed a trial court’s ruling that only severe turbulence can be considered an accident under the Warsaw Convention. Magan v. Lufthansa German Airlines, 339 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2003)
The case was reinstated and tried before a jury that returned a verdict for our client in the sum of $700,000.
Representing Victims of Aviation Injuries in New Jersey and New York
Our New York attorneys have also represented the families of people injured or killed in the loss of both private jet and propeller aircraft. Many general aviation (or private aircraft) crashes occur due to pilot error, mechanical or material failure, design defects, air traffic control negligence or improper maintenance.
As seasoned personal injury and product liability attorneys, we are familiar with cases involving duties to warn and breaches of express and implied warranties in the aviation field. We retain and work with top engineers and experts to investigate the causes of aviation accidents and use all available government resources and agency data in the course of litigation.
Providing Advice and Advocacy to Injured Passengers
In addition to representing victims of airline disasters, we have successfully represented passengers injured due to:
- Emergency evacuations
- Falling baggage
- A flight attendant inflicting hot beverage burns
- Being struck by an in-flight service cart
- Wet and slippery conditions in aircraft lavatories
We have also represented passengers injured in the boarding process who were involved in tarmac to terminal bus transfer accidents, injured due to dangerous conditions in airports, and assaulted by other passengers.
Fatal Aviation Accidents
In cases involving wrongful death, we employ experienced estate counsel to assist victims’ families with the tasks of establishing and settling the estate, appointing guardians, and obtaining necessary letters of administration following an air disaster.
