After a relatively peaceful 2009, in which there were fewer fatalities in medical helicopter and air ambulance crashes, 2010 has taken Houston personal injury lawyers and federal safety officials by surprise.

In 2009, only six people died in medical helicopter crashes.  Those deaths came after a deadly 2008 in which there were 28 fatalities in medical helicopter crashes.  Thus far in 2010, we have already seen 21 fatalities in medical helicopter crashes.  Last week’s helicopter crash in central Arkansas killed three people, including two flight medics and the pilot of the helicopter.  The helicopter was on its way to an accident site to pick up a victim when it went down.  Investigations into the crash are ongoing.

This crash was the most recent in a series of air ambulance crashes this year.  Many of these crashes have been deadly, as seen by the high fatality toll.  What’s worse is that we are still almost 4 months away from the end of 2010, and we’ve already close to last year’s fatality count.

Once again, questions are being asked about whether the industry has simply grown at an accelerated pace that hasn’t allowed federal agencies to regulate it sufficiently.  Soon after the deadly air ambulance crashes of 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration recommended that all medical helicopters come with a Terrain Awareness Warning System.  The systems enable safer flying at night and reduce the facility of crashes in these situations.  Currently, only about 40% of all air ambulances in the country are equipped with these systems.  That makes it 60% of the air ambulance fleet in the country that does not come with these advanced systems.

There is no information about whether the helicopter that crashed in Arkansas was equipped with a Terrain Awareness Warning System.  Hopefully, the industry will take this most recent crash as a wakeup call and investigate what’s causing all these crashes this year.

Image Courtesy: Flickr – Curtis Dean Wilson

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.

For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.

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