When you are finally permitted to board your flight after more than an hour of sitting and waiting in the terminal. You are likely to give little thought to the amount of luggage and personal items that are crammed into the overhead bins. You hope to have space for your items so that you have more legroom under the seat in front of you. But once your items are in the bin, you give the space no more thought. The flight crew closes the compartments overhead, and you might hear the latch click to indicate they are locked, but that is not always possible with the low rumble of everyone on the flight settling in for the trip.
Sadly, most people never give the overhead bins another thought until the end of the flight unless they are suddenly showered with bags and personal items that are falling on them from the overhead compartment because the lock on the bin failed. In these cases, there is typically a great deal of panic and noise as others are trying to avoid injuries from suitcases and carry-on items that are falling in their heads. If you fly regularly, you could have witnessed this injury incident on any airline as it is an incident that has been reported across the board with all the large airlines, including:
- Delta Air Lines (DL)
- United Airlines (UA)
- American Airlines (AA)
- Lufthansa Group (LH)
- International Airlines Group (BA/IB)
- Emirates (EK)
- Air France/KLM (AF/KL)
- Southwest Airlines (WN)
- China Southern Airlines (CZ)
- Air China (CA)
- Qatar Airways (QR)
- Turkish Airlines (TK)
- China Eastern Airlines (MU)
- Air Canada (AC)
- Ryanair (FR)
- Qantas Airways (QF)
- Singapore Airlines (SQ)
- All Nippon Airways (NH)
- LATAM Airlines (LA)
- Korean Air (KE)
- easyJet (U2)
- Cathay Pacific (CX)
- Japan Airlines (JL)
- Alaska Airlines (AS)
- JetBlue Airways (B6)
- IndiGo (6E)
- Hainan Airlines (HU)
- Jet2 (LS)
- EVA Air (BR)
- China Airlines (CI)
While most people think that airplanes get a great deal of care and service, that attention is almost always limited to the components that are essential for flight, landing, and passenger safety features. That list of well-maintained parts ends before the crew gets to the process of checking and inspecting the function and durability of the latches and locks on the overhead bins. If you or a loved one have recently become the victim of airline injuries due to overhead bin incidents, please know that the team at Normandie Law Firm is here to help you find a suitable resolution to the challenges the harm created for you. Our office staff can be reached around the clock to answer your questions, provide general information on personal injury lawsuits, and how our team will determine who to hold accountable for the harm and expenses you face because of the overhead bin injury incident.
In addition, we hope that you will accept our offer for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at Normandie Law Firm who specializes in lawsuits that involve injuries and negligence on the part of airline staff. At that meeting, you will share the facts of the incident and answer any remaining questions your lawyer has to gain a clear understanding of the incident. Once they have completed the evaluation, they will explain the legal merit of the case and your ability to file a personal injury lawsuit against the airline to secure any compensation that is owed to you for your losses and expenses.
With this information, you will be ready to begin making critical choices that could impact the rest of your life. However, please also know that you are never obligated to file a lawsuit against the airline or to hire Normandie Law Firm. Our only motivation in providing this valuable information is to ensure that all personal injury victims have the resources and ability to use the legal system as it was created to help them avoid excessive debt caused by another person’s negligence and poor choices. But please reach out to our team at your earliest opportunity, as there is a time limit for you to take action to get compensation for these losses and expenses.
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Airline Staff’s Legal Obligation To Passengers
When you book a flight, you have the right to expect the plane you board will be in functional condition and free of safety hazards that could have easily been corrected. The airline staff is legally obligated to provide a certain level of care and inspections to the aircraft to ensure it is safe for the crew and passengers. When the staff fails to make the necessary inspections that would reveal safety issues, they are negligent in their duty of care. When that negligence results in injuries, the airline can be held liable for the losses and harm to the injury victim. Please reach out to the expert legal team at Normandie Law Firm if you feel that there was staff negligence involved in the overhead bin failure that resulted in luggage and personal items falling on you and causing your injuries.
Common Injuries Caused By Overhead Bin Incidents
When you picture yourself sitting in a seat on an airplane, you could be sleeping, watching a video, reading a book, or simply relaxing. But you are not likely focused on the bins over your head or the items inside them. So, when an overhead bin latch or lock fails and items begin falling on you, there is little time to prepare or protect yourself. Heavy and hard items like suitcases can strike your head, face, and upper body in a fraction of a second.
Because of the nature of falling object injuries and the lack of ability to protect the head and face, many of the injuries suffered by victims of these incidents can be severe and include:
- Damage to the back and neck typically due to crushing or compression injuries
- Fractured, broken, or shattered bones as the victim tried to shield their face and head with their hands and arms
- Dislocated joints and damage to the soft connective tissue of the joints, often in the fingers, hands, and wrists
- Damage to the delicate skin on the face, as well as injuries to the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth
- Severe lacerations and puncture wounds that can also cause internal bleeding
- Head injuries that can involve skull fractures, severe concussions, brain bleeds, and other traumatic brain injuries
The very unfortunate truth is that most passengers on an airplane sit under a storage bin that could fail at any time if the staff is not routinely inspecting and servicing the latches and locks on the overhead storage bins. In addition, the harm caused by any items falling on the head and face of a victim can be life-altering.
How Much Are My Airline Injuries From An Overhead Bin Incident Worth?
As the victim of a personal injury, you have the ability to seek compensation for the losses and expenses you sustained due to your injuries. The amount of compensation you receive is based on the actual losses and expenses you face instead of an arbitrary amount that is predetermined. This process of evaluating each lawsuit was enacted to ensure that victims of these incidents are fully compensated for the costs they face because of injuries caused by another person’s negligence or poor choices.
Working with your Normandie Law Firm legal team, you will gather all the documents that support and verify the allowable expenses you suffered because of the injury incident. Items typically used in the tabulation of personal injury lawsuit compensation include but are not always strictly limited to:
- The replacement cost of any personal property that was damaged or destroyed in the airline injury indent
- Your lost income, if the harm sustained, prevents you from working at your regular job until you are fully recovered and cleared by your medical care providers to return to the duties of that job
- The cost of all current and future estimated medical care needed for the injuries suffered in the overhead bin incident and any emotional care needed to address the trauma and stress of the incident and injuries
- All legal costs related to preparing, filing, and litigating the overhead bin injury lawsuit
How Long Do I Have To Take Legal Action?
As the victim of a personal injury, you have two years from the date of the injury incident to file your lawsuit with the court. If the case is not filed when that time limit expires, you will lose the right to ever file a claim to seek compensation for that incident. Please reach out to the experts at Normandie Law Firm to discuss the time remaining to pursue legal action against the airline for the harm you suffered due to staff negligence.
No Upfront Legal Fees Or Expenses
When you hire Normandie Law Firm to handle your airline overhead bin injury lawsuit, we never ask for any upfront payment for our services or the fees that we cover on your behalf. Our firm is dedicated to providing justice for all personal injury victims, and we never want the cost of legal services to prevent them from getting the justice and compensation they need and deserve after suffering an injury. In addition, you must understand that if your Normandie Law Firm personal injury lawyer fails to win the case and get you the compensation you need, you owe the firm nothing for the time and investment made in preparing and litigating the lawsuit.
Please make time at your earliest opportunity to contact the staff at Normandie Law Firm to discuss the facts of your case and if you have grounds to file a lawsuit to recover the expenses caused by the airline overhead bin failure. Our staff can be reached 24/7 to help you feel less stressed and worried about the outcome of this unfortunate and possibly costly injury accident.
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Private Plane FBO Injury
