Aviation Litigation

Casey Gerry's San Diego aviation accident
lawyers experience with avaiation accident cases

Casey Gerry's aviation accident lawyers have extensive experience in aviation product liability litigation, and have represented aviation accident victims from San Diego, Coachella, Indian Wells, March Air Force Base and other cities in Southern California. Dick Gerry, a founder of the firm, was a leader in developing aviation law in the 1950's.

Scott Cummins, an aviation accident lawyer with the firm, has won multi-million verdicts and settlements arising from aircraft crash cases, military aircraft cases, commercial aircraft cases and product liability cases. Cummins has had extensive experience in working with the Federal Aviation Administration and serves as lead counsel for Casey Gerry lawyers in aviation accident cases.

In Dunn v. Grand Canyon Airlines Casey Gerry's aviation accident lawyers represented a passenger in a commercial aircraft. On final approach to the Grand Canyon Airport, the pilot, who had little experience in the aircraft, overshot the runway. He tried to execute a “go around,” and the aircraft crashed. Defendants included engine and airplane manufacturers and certain parts suppliers. Our aviation accident attorneys tried the case before a federal jury, which returned a verdict for over $8,000,000. The defendants appealed, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal upheld the verdict.

Casey Gerry aviation accident attorneys represented the widow and young children of a jet engine inspector in Withrow v. Rolls Royce PLC. The inspector was inside an RB 211 (Rolls Royce) jumbo jet engine being tested after a rebuild, when another mechanic activated the thrust reverser doors. The doors closed the cowling of the jet engine, crushing the inspector. The case was tried on theories of product liability and negligence for Rolls Royce’s failure to build in adequate safety devices and warning procedures for activation of the thrust reverser doors.

This case illustrates the need for a tenacious, committed aviation accident law firm who will spend the time and money necessary to prepare and try your case. Our avaition accident lawyers took and videotaped more than 50 depositions, and edited the tapes for trial. The jury trial ran three weeks, the jury deliberated for 11 days, then returned the multi-million dollar verdict for the client.

In another case, our client, a private pilot, was on final approach for landing when the headliner of his aircraft suddenly burst into flames, filling the cockpit with smoke. The pilot was severely burned as he tried to put the fire out with his hand. As the plane braked, he pushed his wife out of the airplane, saving her life. The airplane crashed to the side of the runway and went up in flames. The pilot was rescued from the burning plane by firefighters who were filming a firefighting video at the airport and were suited in fire gear. He suffered severe burns and orthopedic injuries. Following discovery by our San Diego aviation accident lawyers, the case settled before trial for over seven figures.

Casey Gerry also represents clients involved in military aviation accidents. The pilot of an F-4 fighter jet was taking off from the USS Midway in the Indian Ocean when the harness attached to the steam catapult broke free from the F-4 and ran ahead to the bow, where a water brake cylinder is deployed to stop the catapult ram. The water brake cylinder exploded, impacting the F-4's starboard engine; the engine lost power and the plane crashed. The plane’s radar intercept officer started the ejection sequence. He was ejected, and survived. The pilot is automatically ejected one second after the RIO, but in that second, the aircraft had rolled to the left. The pilot was ejected into the water and killed. The pilot’s widow, who had a young child, sued the manufacturer, the designer and the heat treater of the water brake cylinder. After extensive discovery, the defendants settled the case before trial for over seven figures.

In another military aviation accident, Casey Gerry's aviation accident lawyers represented a photographer on assignment in a Huey helicopter to take pictures of a Cobra helicopter. While flying in a close formation, the helicopters’ rotors collided, the copters crashed, and our client’s husband, the photographer, was killed. We filed suit on behalf of the heirs against the U.S. Government under the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Death on the High Seas and Suits in Admiralty Acts. The legal questions included what law would apply, because damages were greater in this case under the claims act. The government settled the case for seven figures while motions for summary judgment were pending.

Casey Gerry's aviation accident lawyers have represented victims of commercial airline accidents. We represented several victims, including one of twenty survivors, of the KAL Boeing 747 air disaster of August 1997 in Guam. Our attorneys filed a motion to expand damages beyond the minimal amounts paid under the Warsaw Convention. After discovery, a ruling that the Warsaw Convention was not applicable, the cases settled for seven figures.