$1.67 Million Jury Verdict Won for Helicopter Accident Victim
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In October 2013, Attorneys Cory Itkin and Caj Boatright from Arnold & Itkin helped to represent a man who was injured in a serious helicopter crash. The plaintiff was a passenger of the helicopter and had been traveling from Port O'Connor, TX to a platform in the Gulf. About halfway through the flight, the helicopter's tail rotor stopped functioning, which led to the pilot conducting a controlled emergency landing.
Unfortunately, the flotation devices had been incorrectly installed by the helicopter company PHI. Following the soft landing, the flotation devices failed to properly work and the entire aircraft rolled over in the water. The plaintiff was forced to evacuate from the helicopter and to hold onto the skids until a rescue boat arrived. In the wake of the crash, the plaintiff suffered from a serious back injury that required surgery; he also required treatment for PTSD.
Our personal injury lawyers took on the case and filed suit in Calhoun County. PHI argued the injuries were not caused by the accident as it was a soft landing with a non-violent rollover that left the two other passengers on the aircraft unharmed. On top of that, PHI alleged our client had pre-existing issues with anxiety, as well as a long history of back pain that he was on medication for at the time of the accident. Despite these charges, we successfully protected our client and successfully recovered a $1.67 million jury verdict on his behalf.
"We were really pleased that we were able to obtain a result that will help our client get his life back on track," said Attorney Cory Itkin. "We hope that this case will encourage helicopter companies such as PHI to stop gambling with the safety of their passengers and to better maintain their helicopters."