Dallas injury lawyer Shelly Greco alerts medical helicopters killing Americans!
Dallas injury attorney-Greco-says 9 fatal medical chopper crashes killed 35 victims.
Dallas, TX (AmericanInjuryNews.com)–The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) www.ntsb.gov began four days of hearings this past week to address the catastrophically high medical helicopter death rate in the United States. Medical helicopters provide emergency transportation to critically injured victims. Most of the victims being life flighted have been injured in devastating car, truck, and SUV rollover accidents on our nation’s highways and roadways.
Last October the ninth fatal helicopter crash in the U.S. happened in Chicago killing three adults and a baby. The chopper hit a radio station wire tower during its emergency night flight ending in a fatal crash. The Chicago chopper crash marked the 9th fatal medical helicopter crash in the United States over an 11 month period bringing the death toll to 35 victims. The helicopter, charged with saving the lives of the critically injured, was not equipped with the proper basic safety equipment. The chopper did not have up to date safety equipment which would alert the pilot of towers, buildings and other obstacles in its flight path.
The federal government estimates more than 800 medical helicopters are currently airlifting the critically sick and injured across the country. In the last decade, the medical flight industry has doubled and remains loosely regulated by state and federal agencies. The medical helicopter industry brings in over $2.5 billion annually. The majority of these medical helicopters, charged with flying in emergency situations, are mostly outsourced to private commercial operators including some publicly traded companies. Medical helicopter industry executives seem to agree some safety measures are needed but remain arguing with national safety advocates. Company leaders argue they should be allowed to continue to be free to choose the technology best suited for their operations. Victims rights advocates continue to raise serious questions with the industries ability to make such decisions with the death toll and crash incidence at an all time high.
In 2004, the NTSB urged the U.S. Federal Aviation Association (FAA) www.faa.gov to mandate and initiate four safety measures for medical helicopters. The FAA has only mandated one safety measure and loosely enforces any type of mandated safety regulations with these companies. When people are seriously injured, and require emergency medical transportation, they depend on medical helicopters to be equipped with basic nationally accepted and recognized safety equipment. Flight nurses, paramedics, pilots, and the injured they are transporting and caring for are still dying. Flight medical personnel and injured accident victims depend on federal and state regulatory agencies to police the agendas of companies who place profit before consumer safety and lives.
AmericanInjuryNews.com by Dallas Injury Lawyer Shelly T. Greco
Practice areas: Personal Injury Lawsuits
Shelly Greco. Eberstein & Witherite, LLP. 3100 Monticello Avenue, Suite 500. Dallas, TX 75205 - Toll Free: (888) 407-6669
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