Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

In Cook County, Illinois, a judge has awarded the family of Michael Waugh $15 million for his airplane accident death. Waugh, a 37-year-old Algonquin resident, was one of four people killed when the Cessna 421B they were riding in crashed in a storage yard in January 2006.The twin-engine plane was heading to Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling.

$6 million of the $15 million Chicago wrongful death settlement is to go to Waugh’s widow. The remainder of the award will go to the Waugh’s three sons.

The Chicago plane accident complaint accused Morgan Stanley of acting improperly by letting employees use personal planes when doing business. According to the family’s Chicago airplane crash lawyer, all other financial institutions prohibit this practice.

The lawsuit accuses Mark Turek, a Morgan Stanley senior vice president and the person who was piloting the plane when it crashed, of negligence. Turek, 59, also died in the Cook County aviation accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported that based on its investigation, the Illinois plane crash occurred because of pilot error. Turek was an amateur pilot, not a professional one. The NTSB says that Turek was unable to maintain airspeed as the plane was getting ready to land. As a result, the aircraft stalled before crashing.

The two other people who died in the plane crash were Sybaris Clubs International Inc. founder Ken Knudson and Morgan Stanley financial adviser and Chicago resident Scott Garland. Waugh was chief operating partner and general manager of Chicago dining locale Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab Restaurant.

Chicago Airplane Accident
There are many laws, regulations, and other factors that must be taken into consideration when proving liability in your Chicago plane crash case. Your Illinois aviation accident attorney will also have to determine who and/or how many parties can be held liable. Possible defendants might include the airline company, the private plane chartering firm, the party that rented or owns the plane, the plane manufacturer, a plane parts manufacturer, the pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration, ground crew workers, and others.

Plane crash lawsuit settled: $15 million settlement approved by judge in 2006 crash near Wheeling airport, Chicago Tribune, September 4, 2009

Family Of Small Plane Crash Victim Files Lawsuit, CBS2Chicago, February 8, 2006

Related Web Resources:
Federal Aviation Administration

National Transportation Safety Board

Federal investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a deadly plane crash that claimed the lives of three families. An autopsy is being conducted on the body of pilot Ellison Summerfield to determine whether a medical emergency could have cause him to crash the private plane into a cemetery where it burst into flames. No one on the plane survived.

The Pilatus PC-12 was transporting three families to a Montana ski resort when the deadly accident happened. Killed in the aviation crash were Summerfield, passengers Amy and Erin Jacobson and their children Taylor, 4, Ava, 3, and Jude, 1, Vanessa and Michael Pullen and their children Sydney, 9, and Christopher, 7, Kristen and Brent Ching, and their children Heiley, 5, and Caleb, 3. The three couples had been friends in college and graduate school before becoming established in medical professions and starting their families.

Summerfield had reportedly engaged in several communications, including a request to divert the plane from its original landing destination, prior to the crash. None of those communications indicated he was concerned that anything was amiss with the aircraft.

The private plane was not carrying a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. Officials are hoping that the engine performance record they recovered from the crash site might be able to shed some light on what happened. The adult victims’ cell phone records might also be examined for clues.

Overload may have also been a factor in causing the plane crash. The Pilatus PC-12 is designed to carry 10 people and there were 14 people on the plane.

Aviation Accident Lawsuits
It can be very challenging, even for federal aviation officials, to determine the cause of a plane crash. If someone you love was killed in an aviation accident, the best way to ensure that your rights are protected and that you receive all of the compensation your family is owed is to speak with an experienced Illinois plane crash law firm about your personal injury or wrongful death case.

Montana plane crash shatters 3 families, Seattle Times, March 24, 2009

Onboard Device Could Offer Clue to Montana Crash, New York Times, March 24, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Federal Aviation Administration

National Transportation Safety Board

Continue reading "NTSB Continues to Investigate Cause of Montana Plane Crash that Killed Three Families " »

A twin-engine plane crash in the West Virginia mountains has left 6 Chicago-area residents dead. The deadly aviation accident happened on Friday. The Piper Seneca II twin-engine six-seater that crashed was carrying members of the American Polish Aero Club, a Chicago aviation club.

Four of the plane accident victims were pilots who were on a trip to purchase a new plane for the 17-year-old club. The two other people that died were a reporter, who was covering the trip, and her father.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the weather conditions were very poor in the mountainous area when the crash happened early in the afternoon. The NTSB is also looking into reports that the pilot may have been having a hard time finding the airport or that the plane was low on fuel.

An initial investigation however found that the plane did not appear to be out of gas and that both engines were running when the aviation accident happened. The plane did strike high tension wire, but it is unclear whether that caused the aviation accident.

Witnesses who reported seeing the plane said the pilot seemed to be struggling to stay in control of it. The pilot was in contact with air traffic controllers when the plane crash happened. The owner of the plane, Wieslaw Dobrzanski, reportedly made a mayday call.

In addition to Dobrzanski, who is from Niles, the plane crash victims included Chicago resident Stanislaw Matras, Morton Grove resident Kazimierz Adamski, Des Plaines resident Irenevsz Michalowski, and Harwood residents Monika Miemiec and Stanley Niemiec.

Aviation Accidents
Plane crashes seldom end well for its crew and passengers. In many cases, injuries sustained in an aviation accident are fatal. It is important that you work with an Illinois plane accident lawyer who knows how to properly pursue and investigate your personal injury or wrongful death case.

Some causes of aviation accidents that could be grounds for a plane accident lawsuit:

• Pilot error
• Crew negligence
• Engine failure
• Design defects
• Faulty maintenance

Making sense of plane crash that killed 6 from Chicago area, Chicago Tribune, February 2, 2009

6 Chicago area residents killed in West Va. plane crash, Chicago Sun-Times, February 1, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Federal Aviation Administration

National Transportation Safety Board

Continue reading "6 Chicago Area Residents Die in Plane Crash" »