What you should know if you experience an accident

It is possible to experience an accident or injury at virtually any time, or in any place, and personal injury law and lawyers cover most of these situations and experiences. One of the less common types of injury of this kind is that of airplane accidents. However, this term can refer to anything from a relatively minor accident which takes place during the course of a flight – such as a fall while standing in the plane, a spilt hot drink due to the motion of the plane or being hit by luggage falling from one of the overhead compartments – to something far more serious like injuries sustained in the wake of an aircraft crash. Therefore lawyers dealing with this particular area of the law need a significant degree of specialist knowledge and understanding.

Accidents on an airplane journey come under the heading of personal injury when it comes to compensation claims, but they represent a complex area of this type of aviation accident law compensation. Like many other forms of personal injury claim, a specialist aviation accident lawyer will take on cases on a no-win, no-fee basis – thus enabling people on lower incomes to make claims for compensation they are rightfully entitled to. Complicating the issue of compensation when it comes to airplane accidents is the fact that there are differences in making a claim depending on whether you were injured during an international flight or one within the UK – which is another major reason why it is best to seek the help of a qualified airplane accident lawyer if you wish to pursue a claim of this kind.

The Montreal Convention

Airplane accidents which happen on international flights are legally covered under the terms of the Montreal Convention, which ensures that people injured during the course of an international flight can pursue their compensation claim in the country where it will be most favourable to them – whether this happens to be the country that they were travelling to on their flight, or the country they primarily live in. This was incorporated into UK law in 2002, meaning you or your legal representative need to fully understand it in order to make such a claim.