Child Injury Lawyer Blog

By Kevin Leach, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

A young girl recently accompanied her mother to Washington Dulles airport to pick up a friend who was arriving from Argentina. A Customs and Border Protection K-9 unit dog that was undergoing training suddenly attacked the girl, knocking her over and clamping down on her pelvis. The dog refused to release, and was eventually subdued by its handler. The girl’s mother was also bitten by the dog when she tried to help her daughter. According to witnesses, the child did nothing to provoke the dog.

The child was taken to a nearby hospital and has reportedly been given twenty stitches in her torso. She has been released from the hospital and is being cared for at home. The mother was understandably upset after the attack, but doesn’t appear to have a problem with ongoing dog training efforts at the airport. She did say she believed that the handlers should take more precautions with dogs in training, such as muzzling them and keeping them away from small children.

It is a shame that an animal being trained to protect citizens attacked this young girl. She will no doubt be scarred both emotionally and physically from the attack.

Read more details about the child mauled by a customs dog at Dulles Airport at Report: Customs patrol dog attacks child at Dulles Airport.

By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

A tragic airplane crash recently took place near the Butte Montana airport. The fatal plane crash involved a small single turboprop airplane that took a nose dive into a cemetery approximately 500 feet from the airport. It is a tragic end to the lives of the passengers including 7 children. The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and other officials / agencies will investigate the cause of the accident to determine if pilot error was involved, the role of the weather, actions / inactions of air traffic control, the performance or malfunction of the airplane, the load of the airplane, and other factors.

It is believed that the passengers were heading for a ski trip. The Napa Valley Register reported that a family of five including three pre-school age children were among the passengers on the airplane

While the NTSB, the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority), and others government agencies will be involved in the investigation, the families of the victims would be well served in retaining a private personal injury attorney to review the investigation and also to conduct an independent investigation as to the cause of the crash and to what extent other persons and business entities / corporations are responsible for the crash.

It was reported that the airplane was a Pilatus PC-12 which is certified for 12 persons on board. Officials will undoubtedly evaluate the passenger load and seating to determine if the owner / operator of the plane was in compliance with these restrictions.

You can read more about this story at Tragic Plane Crash Takes the Lives of Passengers Including Small Children in Butte, Montana.

By Steven Smith, Attorney David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

Only in New York can you be sitting in your office, looking out of the 35th floor window and see a jet airliner landing in the icy water below. That happened in New York recently when an airplane, headed for North Carolina hit a flock of birds, damaging both engines and yet landed safely in the Hudson River next to New York City on January 15, 2009. On board were 155 passengers, including children and a little baby. It was called a miracle that the pilot, who had many years of experience, was able to make the split second decision to land the plane in the water and no one got seriously hurt. Some people took charge inside of the plane, few panicked, and in the end, all most ended up standing on the wings on the plane, or close by in the water, waiting to be saved. This truly was a disaster in the making, but the cool heads of the pilot and crew in the air and many passengers on the ground (in the water) made this a happy ending. Serious injuries were avoided because the passengers listened to the safety instructions and prepared for the bumpy landing. In fact, the baby was held, at the time of the accident, by the person in the next seat, because the mother was afraid to do so and the father of the baby was several rows back. The baby was safe—and ready for the next flight! You can read about this story at Miracle on the Hudson.

By J. Rock Palermo, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network

A Louisiana helicopter heading for an offshore oil platform crashed in a Louisiana marsh leaving eight dead and one injured. It is a tragic incident for those in the helicopter as well as their families. The helicopter was operated by PHI, Inc. News reports state that the helicopter crashed a short time period after take off. The helicopter was operated by two pilots and had seven passengers. The crash took place near New Orleans in a marsh located in the Terrebonne Parish. The seven passengers were employees of two Shell Oil Company contractors as they were traveling to the oil platform. In most States, there are specific laws in place dealing with wrongful death worker's compensation matters. In addition, there may be a third party liability case against the helicopter operators, owners, and manufacturers for the wrongful deaths and personal injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board and other government agencies will conduct an investigation as to the cause of the crash. The NTSB will examine the flight recorders, wreckage, and other evidence and artifacts from this crash.

The victims of this crash were identified as Andrew Moricio, Ezequiel Cantu, Allen Boudreaux, Randy Tarpley, Jorey Rivero, Charles W. Nelson, Stevem Yeltin, Thomas E. Ballenger, and Vyarl W. Martin. The victims were from various States including Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Alabama.

You can read more about this tragic crash at Helicopter Heading for Oil Platform Crashes in Louisiana.