- (808) 242•5000
- Send us an email
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 - 5:00
Helicopter Tour Injuries in Maui
Helicopter tours offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience Maui’s waterfalls, coastline, volcanic landscapes, and other breathtaking scenery from the air. While most flights are completed safely, accidents and injuries can occur when equipment failures, unsafe operating practices, weather conditions, or other factors contribute to an incident.
A helicopter tour injury can leave victims and their families facing serious physical, emotional, and financial challenges. Questions often arise about who may be responsible, what compensation may be available, and how the claims process works especially for visitors who return home before the matter is resolved.
Understanding your legal options after a helicopter tour injury can help you make informed decisions while focusing on your recovery.
What You'll Learn on This Page
How Helicopter Tour Injuries Happen
Helicopter tour accidents are uncommon, but when they occur, they can result in serious injuries. Every incident is different, and the cause often depends on a combination of factors involving the aircraft, its operation, weather conditions, and other circumstances surrounding the flight.
Determining how an accident happened typically requires a thorough investigation. In some cases, investigators may review maintenance records, flight data, weather conditions, pilot actions, and other evidence to better understand what contributed to the incident.
Pilot Error
Helicopter tours require pilots to make important decisions before and during each flight. Factors such as route selection, altitude, weather awareness, communication, and aircraft operation can all affect passenger safety. In some situations, pilot actions or decisions may become part of the investigation following an accident.
Mechanical or Equipment Failures
Helicopters are complex aircraft that depend on properly functioning engines, rotors, flight controls, navigation systems, and other critical components. Mechanical failures or defective equipment may contribute to an accident if a component does not perform as intended during flight.
Hazardous Weather Conditions
Maui’s weather can change rapidly, particularly near mountains, valleys, and coastal areas. Strong winds, low visibility, heavy rain, and changing cloud conditions can create additional challenges during sightseeing flights. Weather conditions may become an important factor when determining how an accident occurred.
Inadequate Maintenance
Routine inspections and maintenance are essential to the safe operation of commercial helicopters. If required maintenance is delayed, performed improperly, or important issues are overlooked, unsafe conditions may develop that increase the risk of an accident.
Understanding what caused a helicopter tour accident is often an important step in determining who may be responsible and what legal options may be available to those who were injured.
Common Injuries From Helicopter Tour Accidents
Because helicopter tour accidents can involve significant impact forces, the injuries sustained are often serious. The type and severity of an injury will depend on the circumstances of the accident, but many victims require immediate medical treatment followed by ongoing care and rehabilitation.
-
Traumatic Brain Injuries – Head trauma can occur during a helicopter accident and may result in concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or other neurological conditions. These injuries can affect memory, concentration, balance, speech, and other cognitive functions.
-
Spinal Cord Injuries – The force of an impact may damage the spine or spinal cord, potentially leading to chronic pain, reduced mobility, paralysis, or other long-term physical limitations. These injuries often require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.
-
Broken Bones – Fractures involving the arms, legs, ribs, pelvis, and other parts of the body are common in high-impact accidents. Some broken bones may require surgery, physical therapy, or months of recovery before normal activities can resume.
-
Internal Injuries – Damage to internal organs or internal bleeding may not always be immediately apparent after an accident. Prompt medical evaluation is important because these injuries can become life-threatening if left untreated.
-
Burns and Catastrophic Injuries – In some helicopter accidents, post-impact fires or severe trauma can result in burn injuries, amputations, multiple fractures, or other catastrophic injuries. These injuries often require long-term medical care and can have lasting physical, emotional, and financial effects on both victims and their families.
Some injuries may continue to affect a person’s health and quality of life long after the accident. Understanding the full extent of an injury is often an important part of evaluating recovery needs and the compensation that may be available.
Who May Be Responsible?
Determining who may be responsible for a helicopter tour accident is often a complex process. Depending on the circumstances, more than one individual or organization may have contributed to the events leading to the accident. A thorough investigation is typically necessary to identify the parties that may have played a role.
Tour Operators
Helicopter tour companies are responsible for operating sightseeing flights and maintaining appropriate safety procedures. Depending on the circumstances, questions may arise regarding pilot training, operational decisions, safety policies, weather assessments, or compliance with applicable aviation regulations.
Aircraft Maintenance Providers
Commercial helicopters require regular inspections, maintenance, and repairs to remain safe for flight. If maintenance was performed improperly, required inspections were missed, or mechanical issues were not adequately addressed, maintenance providers may become part of the investigation.
Helicopter Manufacturers
In some cases, investigators may determine that a defective aircraft component or manufacturing issue contributed to the accident. If a design defect or equipment failure played a role, the manufacturer of the helicopter or one of its components may be involved in evaluating responsibility.
Other Negligent Parties
Every helicopter tour accident is unique. Depending on the facts of the case, additional parties may also share responsibility, including companies responsible for aircraft inspections, component manufacturers, maintenance contractors, or others whose actions or omissions contributed to the incident.
Because helicopter tour accidents often involve multiple parties and detailed technical investigations, determining responsibility may require reviewing maintenance records, operational procedures, flight information, and other available evidence.
The aftermath of a helicopter tour accident can be overwhelming, particularly when serious injuries require immediate medical attention. While every situation is different, taking a few practical steps can help protect your health and preserve important information as questions about the incident are investigated.
-
Seek Medical Treatment – Your health should be the highest priority. Even if injuries do not appear serious at first, it is important to receive a prompt medical evaluation. Some injuries may not become fully apparent until hours or days after the accident.
-
Preserve Medical Records – Keep copies of medical records, treatment plans, prescriptions, receipts, and other healthcare documents. These records can help document the nature of your injuries and the care you received.
-
Document the Incident – If possible, preserve photographs, videos, witness contact information, and any other documentation related to the accident. This information may become valuable as investigators work to determine what happened.
-
Keep Communication Records – Save emails, letters, insurance correspondence, receipts, and notes regarding conversations with the tour operator, insurance companies, or other parties. Maintaining organized records can make it easier to understand the timeline of events as your claim progresses.
Taking these steps can help preserve important information while allowing you to focus on your recovery. As more details become available, you will be in a better position to understand your options moving forward.
Can Visitors Pursue a Claim After Returning Home?
Many people who are injured during a helicopter tour return home before they have fully recovered or before questions about the accident have been resolved. Leaving Hawaii does not necessarily prevent you from pursuing a personal injury claim related to an accident that occurred on Maui.
-
Returning Home Does Not Necessarily End Your Claim – In many situations, an injury claim can continue after you return to your home state. The fact that you no longer live in Hawaii does not automatically prevent you from pursuing compensation or understanding your legal options.
-
Many Cases Can Be Managed Remotely – Medical records, insurance communications, documents, and many other aspects of a personal injury claim can often be handled remotely. This allows injured visitors to focus on their recovery while the claims process continues.
-
Learn More About Visitor Injury Claims – If you were injured while visiting Maui, our Injured While Visiting Maui? page explains how injury claims often continue after visitors return home and answers many of the questions people have about the process.
Because every case is unique, it is often helpful to understand your options sooner rather than later, especially if important legal or insurance deadlines may apply.
What Compensation May Be Available?
The compensation available after a helicopter tour injury depends on the circumstances of the accident, the severity of the injuries, and the losses experienced by the injured person. Every case is unique, but compensation may be available for both financial and non-financial damages.
-
Medical Expenses – Compensation may include emergency medical care, hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, prescription medications, and other reasonable medical expenses related to the injury.
-
Lost Income – Serious injuries may prevent a person from working for weeks, months, or longer. Lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and other employment-related financial losses may be considered when evaluating a claim.
-
Pain and Suffering – In addition to financial losses, compensation may be available for the physical pain, emotional distress, and changes to daily life resulting from a helicopter tour accident.
-
Future Medical Needs – Some injuries require ongoing treatment long after the accident. Future surgeries, rehabilitation, assistive devices, long-term care, and other anticipated medical needs may also be considered when evaluating compensation.
Because helicopter tour accidents often involve serious injuries, understanding both current and future losses is an important part of evaluating the full impact of the incident.
How Lowenthal & Lowenthal Can Help
Helicopter tour injury cases often involve complex investigations, multiple parties, and unique legal issues. Lowenthal & Lowenthal helps injured individuals understand the process, evaluate their options, and navigate the challenges that may arise after a serious accident.
-
Explaining Your Legal Options – We help clients understand how Hawaii law may apply to their situation and explain the options that may be available based on the circumstances of the accident.
-
Investigating the Incident – Helicopter tour accidents often require a detailed review of maintenance records, flight information, operational procedures, and other evidence to better understand what occurred.
-
Identifying Responsible Parties – Depending on the facts of the case, multiple individuals or organizations may share responsibility. We help evaluate the evidence to identify the parties that may have contributed to the accident.
-
Coordinating With Insurance Companies – Insurance claims can involve extensive documentation and ongoing communication. We help clients navigate the claims process and better understand the issues that arise along the way.
-
Guiding You Through the Process – Every case is unique. Our goal is to provide clear information, answer your questions, and help you make informed decisions while focusing on your recovery.
If you or a loved one was injured during a helicopter tour on Maui, Lowenthal & Lowenthal can help you understand your options and guide you through the next steps.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your case with one of our attorneys.
Please fill out the form below; our legal team will get back to you within 24 hours. *Please note this does not create an attorney-client relationship.
© 2020 All rights Reserved. Lowenthal & Lowenthal LLLC
The information presented on this website is for information purposes only and should not be used as a basis of legal advise or guidance. Using this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please contact us to see whether we are able to represent you.