Our aviation lawyers have represented families of passengers and crew killed or injured in cases against virtually every major aircraft parts manufacturer, assembler, and air carrier, which has earned the firm a distinguished reputation.

After an unblemished two-and-a-half-year record, the longest in aviation history of no fatal accidents in a mass commercial disaster, a plane carrying 49 people crashed in Clarence Center just outside of Buffalo, New York. The Dash 8 Q400 Bombardier turboprop plane crashed into a home, killing one person and injuring two others. Immediately, as in all plane crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched investigators to the scene and they began the task of trying to find out the cause of the tragedy. In this case, the cockpit recorder and voice recording devices were recovered and immediately sent to Washington, D.C., to begin reviewing what occurred.

Within days, as the families were grieving the unbearable loss of their loved ones, the NTSB worked through the last moments of those who were on the plane. Many aspects of the airplane were examined: pilots' commands and decisions, the de-icing device on the edge of the airplane's wings, and icing on the wings and tail were some of the initial issues. It will be months, though, before a final conclusion will be determined by the NTSB as to the cause of the crash.

Experts will look back at the lessons learned in the crash at Roselawn, Indiana. A plane that killed all 68 aboard on Halloween night in 1994. A turboprop plane, this time an ATR, crashed with the same de-icing device. Clifford Law Offices became lead counsel in the consolidated lawsuits that followed, representing 16 families who lost loved ones. Then, families were told of their loss in cold, insensitive ways. The treasured remains of their loved ones were treated with little to no respect. Lawyers at Clifford Law Offices hired experts, including a former Senior Air Safety Investigator for the NTSB. They traveled to France, where the pneumatic boot had been developed, to interview and take the depositions of the engineers who created the de-icing device. Regulations in the United States were changed to make it safer.

As the jury sat waiting for the trial to begin, the case settled for $110 million for 28 of the families. The defense attorneys apologized to the families in open court. In a unique ruling, the court allowed Robert Clifford to make a short opening statement so that the voices of the plaintiffs would be heard.

This is the path of an airplane crash lawsuit. Although the grieving never stops and the loss cannot be replaced, aviation lawyers, like the aviation law firm within Clifford Law Offices, work to find answers to the questions that these families need. Answers to "what happened?" The answers that they deserve.

Mass commercial airline disasters do not occur often, but when they do, they capture the attention of the nation, the world. The flying public needs assurances that it is safe to fly, but how can it when the cause of the crash remains unknown for months? And what caused the crash may require changes that need to be implemented throughout the airline industry or with a particular airline or manufacturer.

The aviation lawyers at Clifford Law Offices have been involved in every major commercial airline disaster in this country in the last 25 years. An aviation accident attorney at the firm has represented families of those who lost loved ones in small plane crashes, corporate jets, private planes and helicopter crashes. They all are very sad stories. They all represent families who will be forever changed. They all needed an experienced plane crash lawyer.

The civil justice system cannot bring back their loved ones. They cannot undo the disaster that occurred. It can only try to correct the mistakes that were made by moving forward in dealing with those who will be flying in the future. And it can ask for damages so that those who are responsible for the crashes will be held accountable for the wrongs they have done.

Please tour the website to read about aviation accidents throughout the nation (and the world) in cases that have been represented by the aviation attorneys at Clifford Law Offices. If you have any questions, please call the firm at 312-899-9090.

* Mass Commercial Airline Disasters
* Small Plane/Corporate Jet/Private Plane Crashes
* Helicopter Crashes/Medevac Crashes

For further information please contact us at 312-899-9090 or 800-899-0410. Additionally, click here to view our aviation accident cases.

Each aviation accident attorney at Clifford Law Offices has the knowledge, experience, and qualifications to manage complex aviation litigation. If you need a plane crash lawyer, call us for qualified aviation lawyers at an experience aviation law firm.