Personal Injuries at Louisiana Airports

Every year, millions of domestic and international travelers move through Louisiana airports. Unfortunately, thousands sustain injuries during travel through these airports due to defective and dangerous conditions caused by airlines, businesses, transportation authorities, airport management, maintenance and security companies, and other service providers.

While Louisiana’s food, music, and fishing are big draws for tourists, residents play a big part, too. Louisianans treat tourists like they are family, and that is why tourist numbers keep going up. 

The seven significant airports in Louisiana include: 

· Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

· Shreveport Regional Airport

· Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport

· Lafayette Regional Airport

· Alexandria International Airport

· Monroe Regional Airport

· Lake Charles Regional Airport

These airports are responsible for maintaining safe conditions for passengers and others on their property. Accidents can occur not only within the airport but also in parking lots, walkways, tarmacs, runways, and other areas on the property. 

Sovereign Immunity

Most major airports in Louisiana are government-owned. The doctrine of sovereign immunity applies whenever you sue a government agency.

According to the Sovereign immunity doctrine, if you sue any government entity (like an airport), you must give the government prior notice and the ability to negotiate and evaluate the case before you can file your claim in court and sue. 

If you do sue, you will be limited or capped on the amount of damages that you can recover.

However, certain parts of the airport may be owned or controlled by private entities that can have lawsuits filed against them, like any private person, property, or business. 

The Montreal Convention 

The Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99) establishes airline liability in the case of death or injury to passengers, as well as in cases of delay, damage, or loss of baggage and cargo. 

For example, if you suffered injuries during a flight, you can claim damages under the Montreal Agreement. Your claim may be limited to $150,000 without proving negligence. If you can show negligence, you may be able to exceed the $150,000 limit.

The Montreal Convention would cover travel from Beijing to New Orleans (a popular route), as travel is international between the two treaty countries – China and the US. However, travel from Lafayette to Dallas is different. If travel is entirely domestic, then local law applies. In the United States, the Department of Transportation rules govern domestic travel.

Common Accidents At Airports That Result In Injuries

Airport Slip And Fall Accidents 

With passengers scampering to catch flights and luggage scattered everywhere, the hectic environment at airports increases the risk of accidents and injuries, particularly slip and fall incidents. Passengers have to walk long corridors with polished floors to reach their terminals. It’s common for passengers to lose footing or stumble over luggage and other obstacles.

Wet floors, poor lighting, broken handrails, uneven walkways, ripped carpeting, loose electrical wiring, and debris in walkways can cause slip-and-fall accidents.

Many risks are exclusive to airports, such as moving sidewalks or horizontal escalators that facilitate the rapid transportation of passengers. An inadequately maintained escalator or elevator can cause severe injury.

Slip and fall accidents occur when passengers ignore their surroundings, especially when walking on wet or shiny surfaces or texting or using their phones. 

Food courts at Louisiana airports are also potentially hazardous as many travelers eat and run to catch flights. 

Negligent Security At Louisiana Airports

Louisiana law requires airports to keep their premises safe for passengers and protect them against foreseeable crime. Negligent security refers to the failure of a property owner to prevent foreseeable criminal conduct from happening on the property. A negligent security case is a specific type of premises liability case.

The level of risk at American airports is high and constant, which means security measures must be in place at all times.

However, breaches in security occur in hiring, maintenance, and adherence to safety procedures, such as:

· Lack of functioning security cameras 

· Lack of security guards or adequately trained security guards. 

· Failure to run background checks on security guards and other airport employees 

· Failure to check employee identification, allowing an unauthorized person to enter restricted areas of the airport

· Lack of sufficient security guards on duty or patrol

· Lack of alarm systems or failure to repair faulty alarms

· Failure of security personnel to monitor security systems and surveillance cameras

· Lack of adequately secured entrances and exits

· Broken or missing locks on secured areas of the airport

· Inadequate crowd-control measures

· Failure to remove intoxicated or violent passengers

· Failure to appropriately or quickly respond to a victim before, during, or after the commission of the crime

Injuries resulting from violent crime at airports frequently leave victims permanently disabled or emotionally traumatized and force them to incur massive economic costs. A personal injury lawsuit can help victims recover medical bills, therapy costs, lost wages, and other expenses caused by airport security breaches.

Auto Accidents at Airports

There are many hazards when driving in and out of airports, including traffic congestion involving shuttles, buses, and other cars; confusion about where to park or which way to go; distractions due to navigation apps and texting or talking on a cell phone. Many pedestrians face a high risk of being hit by motorists when getting in and out of vehicles or trying to cross at the airport pick-up and drop-off areas. 

In-flight Injuries

You can sue an airline for negligence. While on board a flight, you may suffer an injury due to turbulence, luggage falling from overhead bins, falling in the aisle, assault by another passenger, rolling food carts, malfunctioning seats and equipment failure, and food poisoning.

Contact A Louisiana Airport Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries at any airport in Louisiana, it’s essential to consider your legal options. You may wonder who is to blame and whether you have any grounds for financial recovery.

Taking on government-owned airports or powerful airlines isn’t something you can do alone. It would help if you had the backing of a Louisiana personal injury lawyer with the skills and experience to fight and win through settlements with insurance companies or verdicts in court.

At Bart Bernard Injury Lawyers, our lawyers conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of your accident and who is to blame. After establishing fault, our attorneys will fight for you to get the compensation you need to pay for medical costs, lost wages, and other damages you incurred due to the negligent parties’ conduct.

Our Louisiana personal injury law firm has successfully represented victims in airport accident cases and is here to offer legal advice and get you maximum compensation.

Schedule a free consultation today so that our lawyers can understand your case and provide you with top-notch legal representation.