Flying can be stressful, but navigating a busy airport to make your flight is often the most stressful part of the trip. When you’re injured in the process, what are your rights and who’s responsible?
Airport injuries affecting passengers are more common than many travelers realize, with thousands of incidents occurring annually across the United States. From slip-and-fall accidents to escalator entrapments, these injuries can result in serious medical issues and substantial financial burdens. If you’ve been injured at an airport, understanding your legal rights and options for compensation is crucial.
In this article, we examine some serious injuries that occur at airports. Whether on the tarmac or in the food court, if you’ve been injured in an airport, you may need a free consultation from an airport accident attorney at Florin|Roebig. Our experienced lawyers can help you file a personal injury claim against an airport and get the compensation you deserve.
Keep reading to learn more about personal injury airport accident claims, including:
- Common airport accidents
- Airport accident claims
- Types of compensation
- Why choose Florin|Roebig
From Parking Lots to Jetways: Examining Airport Accidents
Airport environments have numerous hazards that can lead to serious injuries. Any of the countless ways an accident in an airport can occur can be life-changing. Some common airport locations and the accidents that happen in them are detailed below.
Car Accidents and Parking Lots
Anywhere there are cars, accidents can occur, and the parking lot of an airport is no exception. Airport parking lots and roadways often have heavy traffic, confusing layouts and travelers in a time crunch. Common accidents in airport parking lots and roadways include:
- Pedestrian-vehicle collisions: Often involving passengers crossing busy roadways or walking between parked cars
- Vehicle collisions: Due to poor visibility, unclear signage or distracted drivers
- Falling objects: From parking garage structures or maintenance activities
Car accident attorneys represent pedestrians who are hit by vehicles pulling into or backing out of a space at an airport and auto collisions that occur in airport parking lots, loading and unloading zones or any roadways.
Food Court Accidents
Most major airports have a collection of fast food and specialty restaurants, cafes and coffee shops. Some resemble food courts, while others have food options spread throughout the facility instead of all bunched together in one spot. No matter how these eating establishments are situated, accidents can occur.
In the United States, food lawsuits are common. A famous suit concerning food and service is the case of Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants. In 1992, 73-year-old Stella Liebeck suffered third-degree burns after spilling a dangerously hot cup of coffee purchased from this famous fast-food franchise. While she was initially awarded nearly $3 million in punitive damages, this amount was later lowered significantly.
Although this accident didn’t occur at a McDonald’s located inside an airport, the previous rule about how hot coffee must be kept put anyone grabbing a cup at any of these establishments at risk. Should an incident such as this take place in an airport food court, multiple parties could share responsibility for your injury and associated costs, including:
- The airport management company
- The individual restaurant operator
- The franchising corporation
Our Featured Case Results
Many travelers kill time by browsing the airport’s retail and convenience stores while waiting to board their flights. If an accident happens while at a retail store that requires medical attention, you may have a personal injury claim.
Within airport retail environments, hazardous conditions that could lead to an injury include:
- Slippery floors: From cleaning activities or spilled products
- Protruding displays: Creating trip hazards in narrow aisles
- Falling merchandise: From improperly secured displays or overloaded shelves
- Operational equipment: Floor cleaning machines or restocking equipment left in customer areas
If you’ve had an accident in an airport retail store, you might make a claim against the airport management or the retailer.
Escalators and Moving Walkway Accidents
On your way up to terminals or down to baggage claim, you’ll likely encounter escalators. Escalator accidents are among the most serious types of airport injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates falls are the most common injury, accounting for 75% of escalator injuries, followed by entrapment at 20%. The hazards presented by these mechanical devices include:
- Falls on escalators: Often caused by uneven steps, sudden stops or passengers losing balance
- Entrapment injuries: Clothing, shoelaces or luggage becoming caught in escalator mechanisms
- Crushing injuries: From escalator malfunctions or improper maintenance
Escalator entrapment injuries tend to be particularly severe and can result in:
- Lacerations requiring stitches or surgery
- Crushing injuries to hands and feet
- Broken bones from falls
- In severe cases, amputation of fingers or toes
While precise airport-specific statistics aren’t available, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data shows that escalator accidents, in general, cause approximately 10,000 emergency department visits annually, with severe outcomes including serious injuries that can require hospitalization and surgery. Children and seniors are the most vulnerable to escalator accidents.
Larger airports may also have elevators and many have moving walkways to speed up the time it takes you to walk from one place to another in an airport. Some even have underground trains to whiz you from one side of the airport to the other. However, any of these conveyances can lead to an accident and personal injury.
Accidents in Baggage Claim
The baggage claim terminal in an airport can be a high-risk area for personal injuries. Between the heavy, automated machinery, passenger behavior and crowded conditions, injuries ranging from minor scrapes to severe, such as broken bones and amputations, can occur. Common accidents and injuries in airport baggage claim terminals include:
- Conveyor belt accidents: Friction burns from coming into contact with the moving conveyor belt or getting hair, clothing or body parts caught in pinch points where the belt meets the machinery, leading to serious injuries, including amputations
- Heavy luggage injuries: Strains from lifting heavy luggage or being struck by bags falling from conveyors or other passengers as they pull bags from the carousel
- Crowding injuries: From passengers pushing or shoving in busy baggage claim areas
There have also been several reported incidents in which young children have climbed onto the baggage conveyor belt, resulting in serious injuries, including severe burns and broken bones, after being carried into the baggage handling systems.
Airport Terminal Mishaps
Airport terminals are fast-paced environments with travelers and airport personnel constantly on the move. High foot traffic, travel-related distractions in unfamiliar places and various hazards like wet or slippery floors, malfunctioning equipment or obstacles in walkways make a stressful situation hazardous. Common accidents leading to injuries within the primary terminal include:
- Slip-and-fall injuries from wet floors, loose rugs or general debris
- Accidents from moving shuttles, carts or other vehicles
- Accidents from improperly secured construction sites
- Injuries from falling luggage on overloaded carts
- Mishaps from walkways blocked by travelers’ items or unattended airport equipment
Aviation-Related Injuries
When you have an accident directly involving the aircraft, jetway or tarmac at an airport, this is considered an aviation accident. Accidents directly related to aircraft operations include:
- Jetway accidents: From malfunctioning boarding bridges or improper alignment
- Tarmac injuries: For passengers during emergency evacuations or delayed departures
- Gate area accidents: From overcrowding, inadequate seating or structural issues
- Aircraft accidents: From falling luggage from unsecured bins, falls caused by turbulence or plane crashes
Employees are more frequently impacted by accidents in areas like the tarmac, baggage/cargo loading areas and maintenance facilities or construction zones.
Do You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer Due to an Airport Accident?
Aviation and airport accident laws are complex and injuries at an airport can involve federal, state, and potentially international regulations, depending on who owns or operates the facility. An airport injury attorney from Florin|Roebig can guide you through the entire legal process, from consultation to settlement or trial. Successfully pursuing an airport injury claim requires proving several key elements.
Establishing Negligence
You must demonstrate that the party responsible failed to exercise reasonable care in a particular situation through:
- Duty: Showing they owed you a duty of care as a passenger or visitor
- Breach: Proving they failed to meet that duty through action or inaction
- Causation: Establishing that their breach directly caused your injuries
- Damages: Documenting the actual harm you suffered
Gathering Critical Evidence
Strong airport injury cases require comprehensive documentation, including:
- Incident reports: Filed with airport security or management
- Witness statements: From other passengers or airport personnel who observed the accident
- Photographic evidence: Of the accident scene, hazardous conditions and your injuries
- Medical records: Documenting the extent and severity of your injuries
- Security footage: Many airports have extensive surveillance systems
- Expert testimony: From safety engineers, medical professionals or accident reconstruction specialists
Understanding Time Limitations
Airport injury claims are subject to strict time limits called statutes of limitations and other factors can limit the amount of time you have to file. Time constraints include:
- Most personal injury claims must be filed within 1 to 3 years, depending on the laws of the state where the airport is located and the injury occurred.
- If the airport is owned/operated by a local, state or federal government organization, claims against government entities often have much shorter deadlines (sometimes as little as 6 months).
- Preserving evidence becomes more difficult as time passes.
- Witness memories fade and security footage may be overwritten.
How Do You Know if You Have an Airport Accident Claim?
You may have a personal injury claim if you or a loved one is a victim of involuntary or accidental injury, or you experience a wrongful death due to an airport accident and negligence of airport management. An accident in any part of an airport that results in personal injury or wrongful death, causing medical bills and other expenses, might be eligible for a claim. Some common injuries that happen when people have airport injury claims include:
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Head injuries from falls or being struck by objects can cause traumatic brain injuries, resulting in:
- Cognitive impairment that affects memory and concentration.
- Permanent disability requiring long-term care.
- Personality changes that affect relationships and employment.
- Medical costs often exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Catastrophic injuries to the spinal cord can result in:
- Partial or complete paralysis.
- Permanent disability requiring accessibility modifications.
- Lifetime medical care and rehabilitation needs.
- Lost earning capacity and employment opportunities.
Neck Injuries
Severe neck injuries can also occur during slip-and-fall accidents or when something falls on you, such as luggage. Injuries to the neck can:
- Cause headaches, blurry vision, sleeping problems, stiffness that makes it difficult to move your head, shooting pain in the arms or legs and numbness and tingling down the shoulders, arms, hands and/or fingers.
- Lead to chronic neck pain, reduced mobility, disability and psychological problems, such as depression.
- Result in surgical and physical therapy costs, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, job loss and medication expenses.
Broken Bones and Fractures
Fractures and broken bones are common in escalator and slip-and-fall accidents, and can include:
- Complex fractures that require surgical intervention.
- Extended recovery periods affecting work and daily activities.
- The potential for permanent disability or reduced mobility.
- Complication risks, including infection or improper healing.
Lacerations and Burn Injuries
Cuts, scratches and burns leave your skin open and exposed to potential infection. These injuries are particularly common in escalator entrapments and food service accidents, and may lead to:
- Surgical repair and plastic surgery for deep cuts.
- Skin grafts and extended hospitalization for severe burns.
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement.
- Risk of infection and other complications.
Wrongful Death
In the most tragic cases, airport accidents can result in death, leaving families to pursue wrongful death claims for:
- Medical expenses incurred before death.
- Funeral and burial costs.
- Lost future earnings and benefits.
- Pain and suffering of surviving family members.
Types of Airport Accident Compensation
Economic Damages
These damages include clear financial losses with calculable dollar values easily proven with receipts, medical bills and other records, such as:
- Medical expenses: Including emergency treatment, surgery, rehabilitation and future medical needs
- Lost wages: For time off work during recovery
- Lost earning capacity: If permanent disability affects your ability to work
- Travel expenses: For medical appointments and treatment
- Property damage: To luggage, electronics or personal belongings damaged in the accident
Non-Economic Damages
These damages cover compensation for intangible or non-monetary losses that are more challenging to prove because you don’t have clear-cut receipts, such as:
- Pain and suffering: For physical discomfort and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life: If injuries prevent participation in activities previously enjoyed
- Disfigurement: For permanent scarring or physical changes
- Loss of consortium: For impacts on relationships with spouse or family members
Punitive Damages
In cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as the Liebeck v. McDonald’s case described above. In that particular case, punitive damages were awarded due to McDonald’s unwillingness to correct a policy that required franchisees to hold coffee at a dangerously high temperature despite hundreds of people suffering injuries and the corporation’s admitted knowledge about serious burn risks. Punitive damages:
- Are awarded to punish defendants and deter similar behavior.
- Are reserved for cases involving gross negligence or willful misconduct.
- Can significantly increase the total value of your claim.
We Are Nationally Awarded Lawyers
Why Choose Florin|Roebig Airport Injury Lawyers
Airport injury cases require specialized knowledge and resources that only experienced personal injury attorneys can provide. Florin|Roebig brings critical advantages to your case.
Proven Track Record
Our firm has successfully handled airport injury cases, securing substantial settlements and verdicts for our clients. We understand the unique challenges these cases present and have the experience needed to overcome these challenges to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Comprehensive Investigation Capabilities
We have the resources to conduct thorough investigations, including:
- Hiring expert witnesses to analyze accident causes
- Obtaining and preserving critical security footage
- Consulting with safety engineers and medical professionals
- Reconstructing accidents using advanced technology
National Recognition
Florin|Roebig has been consistently recognized by US News & World Report as being among the best personal injury attorneys in the nation. This recognition reflects our commitment to achieving outstanding results for our clients.
No Upfront Costs
We handle airport injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we successfully recover compensation for your case. No upfront fees ensure access to quality legal representation regardless of your financial situation.
Comprehensive Case Management
Our legal team handles every aspect of your case, including:
- Immediate preservation of critical evidence
- Coordination with medical providers and insurance companies
- Negotiation with multiple defendants and their insurers
- Preparation for trial when necessary to maximize recovery
Whether you’ve suffered a minor scrape, broken bone, traumatic brain injury or even wrongful death, you may be eligible for compensation. Airport accidents are often preventable tragedies resulting from inadequate maintenance, poor safety procedures or corporate negligence. When these accidents occur, victims deserve to recoup damages for their injuries and losses.
Don’t let an airport injury derail your life or drain your finances. Our experienced airport accident attorneys are ready to fight for maximum compensation and hold negligent parties accountable for their actions. Contact Florin|Roebig today for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation to begin exploring your personal injury claim options.
