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Air France Flight Personal Injury Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For An Accident on an Air France Flight?

This page contains a guide to making a compensation claim if you have been the victim of an Air France flight accident. Not all aircraft accidents are fatal crashes; there are many less serious incidents each and every day. In this guide, you will learn why you could be eligible to make a claim against an airline, and also how to start your claim.

Air France flightIf you have any questions or need anything in this guide explained in greater detail, please speak to one of the Legal Expert claim advisors on 0800 073 8804 today. They will be ready and waiting to help you.

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Our Guide To Air France Accident Claims

It is important to note from the start that there is a 2 year limit to accidents that happen when in international air. It is vital that you start your claim as soon as possible so that it is within the strict time limits that are set. In this guide you are going to learn everything that you need to know about why you may have a valid claim, and how to get started with it.

The guide starts by covering much of the background information that you need to know. This includes your rights as an airline passenger, and also how the Montreal Convention helps to secure those rights for you.

The second part of this guide covers the claims themselves. We go over many of the most common reasons why people make a claim against an airline, including:

  • Burns and scalds caused by spillages.
  • Injuries that are caused by the wrongful handling of disabled passengers.
  • Accidents involving the service
  • Falls, slips, and trips at the airport or on the plane.
  • Luggage related accidents and injuries.
  • Injuries caused by turbulence in the air.
  • Food poisoning and other food-related illnesses.
  • Allergic reactions to airline food.
  • Accidents caused by faulty seats.

In the final part of the guide, we go over facts that relate to the actual process of making a claim. We include a list of the most frequently awarded types of damages, and also a table that gives details of typical compensation ranges paid for different injuries. We also introduce the Legal Expert national claims service. A financially risk-free way for you to have your claim processed. If you have questions about this service,or anything else in this guide, please speak to one of our claims team on the contact number down at the bottom of the page. They will be able to give you the help that you need.

What Is An Accident On An Aircraft?

Flight statistics

Not every airline accident is the lethal, plane crash kind. There are many different reasons why a personal injury solicitor may be able to process a claim for a claimant, that are not the result of a plane crashing. The graph above shows that Air France is a very busy airline. There are possibly at least several minor accidents on a flight each week that could result in the victim making a claim. It is these kinds of incidents that this guide will concentrate on. You can find some excellent information from the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, covering aircraft safety, at this resource: CAA info on aircraft safety

Check You Are Eligible To Claim For A Flight Accident

In order for a personal injury lawyer to be able to successfully process a claim for you, then you would need to be eligible to pursue the airline for damages for some reason. This means that one of the staff, or the airline in general, must be negligent and caused you harm in some way. This can either be completely liable, being the only cause of the harm you suffered, or partially liable, only contributing to the cause of harm you have suffered. In the latter case, the claim would be settled at a reduced percentage of liability.

Your Right To Claim Compensation Explained

Every airline is required to furnish each passenger with an irrefutable set of legal rights. These rights are leveraged by a solicitor to process a personal injury claim. The basic structure of these rights is as follows:

  1. You are able to claim for personal injury and death.
  2. You are able to claim for cancellations and delays.
  3. You are able to claim for damages or lost luggage.
  4. A standard compensation structure is in place, to expedite the claims process.
  5. The airline must, if asked by the claimant’s solicitor, provide an advance payment before the full claim is settled, to cover personal hardship.
  6. You must be given a copy of these rights in writing before you fly.

You can find more CAA information here, in this guide, covering your rights: CAA info on passenger rights

How To Claim Compensation Under The Montreal Convention

The rights outlined above are fairly straightforward to enforce while a plane is within national boundaries of a country with its own laws and legal system. But what happens when the plane is flying in international airspace, outside of any legal jurisdiction? This is where the Montreal Convention comes in to play. This is an internationally recognised and accepted legal framework for ensuring that airline passengers can still exercise their rights, even when in international airspace.

These international laws are covered in more detail at this resource: How the Montreal Convention protects passengers

What Injuries Could I Claim For Against An Airline?

There are many accidents, injuries and illnesses that could leave a passenger with a valid reason to make an aviation claim. However, in reality, some types of claims are far more common than others, such as:

  • Burns and scalds caused by spillages.
  • Injuries that are caused by the wrongful handling of disabled passengers.
  • Accidents involving the service
  • Falls, slips, and trips at the airport or on the plane.
  • Luggage related accidents and injuries.
  • Injuries caused by turbulence in the air.
  • Food poisoning and other food-related illnesses.
  • Allergic reactions to airline food.
  • Accidents caused by faulty seats.

You will find that we have covered each of these common claim types in their own sections below.

Hot Food And Drink Scalds & Burns On A Plane

Whenever one of the members of the cabin crew spills hot food or drink, and it causes an injury to a passenger such as a tea burn, or a coffee burn, then this may be a valid reason to make a claim. This is true even if the person who has been injured was partially at fault for causing the spillage. The cabin crew is expected to serve the aircraft passengers safely at all times, failure to do so would see them being liable.

Disabled Passenger Injury Claims

Airline staff, and this includes the aircraft cabin crew and every other employee that deals face to face with passengers, is trained extensively to be able to cope with the needs of disabled passengers. When this training fails, and a disabled passenger is caused harm due to being mishandled in some way, then this would be an example of valid airline negligence cases. It may be possible for the injured passenger to make a claim against the airline.

You can find out more about the treatment that disabled passengers should expect, at this link: UK Government information for disabled plane passengers

Service Cart & In-Flight Trolley Impacts

This is another area where each member of the cabin crew receives extensive training. They are equipped to serve food and drink from the service trolley safely, in the confined space of the aircraft. If they do not, and trolley accidents happens, then any passengers who have been injured should be able to make a claim. This relates to both accidents whereby a passenger is hit by the trolley, and also accidents whereby the trolley is left in an unsuitable place, causing a hazard.

I Have Tripped On An Air France Flight, Can I Claim?

These are the most common type of incidents that result in a passenger making a flight accident claim. They can happen any time, and in any place, for example:

  • While disembarking or embarking the aircraft via the mobile steps.
  • By slipping on water that has been spilt on the floor of the aircraft bathroom.
  • On food or drink that has been spilt by one of the cabin crew or another passenger.
  • Luggage that has been left in a place that causes a trip hazard.

There are many ways a slip, trip or fall can happen. No matter how yours came about, Legal Expert should be able to help you claim. Discuss your situation with one of our claim advisers on the contact number at the end of this guide to proceed.

Injuries That Could Be Caused By Overhead Luggage Bin Accidents

The cabin crew has to check that all luggage is safely secured in these overhead bins before the plane takes off and lands. They are also expected to assist passengers who wish to access the overhead luggage compartments whilst in flight. If you have been injured due to luggage falling from over head lockers please call us to see if you have a claim for damages.

Passenger Injuries That Could Be Caused During Unexpected Turbulence

Turbulence in the air is solely caused by weather conditions. Even though most airline pilots do their best to avoid turbulence, it is not always feasible for the plane to change its heading to avoid it. If a passenger is injured by an accident caused by turbulence, then one of the following statements will need to be true in order to pursue a compensation claim:

  1. The pilot failed to turn on the seatbelt sign when turbulence was expected.
  2. The cabin crew failed to ensure that all passengers had returned to their seats and secured themselves before the turbulence hit.
  3. One of the aircraft crew fails to secure themselves properly and has an accident that involves a passenger.

Legal Expert can help you to make a claim if any of the following statements are true in your own case. Speak to one of our claim advisors on the contact number at the bottom of the page to proceed.

Food Poisoning Claims

Every airline is required by law, to serve in-flight food that is healthy, safe and meets certain minimum nutrition requirements. When they don’t and serve food that isn’t fresh or has been undercooked, if it results in a food-related illness such as food poisoning, then the victim would have a valid reason to make a compensation claim. Legal Expert can assist with this. Contact one of our claims team on the number down at the bottom of this guide to learn how.

Food Allergy Claims

Airline food must be clearly labelled with all allergen content such as nuts. Also, the cabin crew must be knowledgeable about the food they are serving, and able to answer allergy-related questions, as well as other dietary related questions from the passengers. If there is a failure in this protocol, and the result is an allergic reaction for one of the passengers, then a valid route to making a claim could exist.

Broken Seat Injury Claims

As an important part of the safety features of an aircraft, the seats are regularly checked to ensure that they are in a good state of repair. The seats of an aircraft are designed to withstand a minor crash and are also used as the anchor point for the safety belt. If a seat is damaged or faulty, then this could lead to a passenger being injured, and they could have a valid reason to pursue the airline for compensation.

What Can I Claim When Suing Air France For Negligence?

When people sue airlines for negligence, the kinds of damages they receive will generally be fairly similar. For example, they could be awarded compensation for:

  • Special damages:
    • Loss of future earnings.
    • Loss of current income.
    • Private medical fees.
    • Care costs.
    • Travel costs.
  • General damages:
    • Permanent disability.
    • Loss of life quality.
    • Painful recuperation.
    • Psychological damage.
    • Pain and suffering.
    • Mental trauma.

If you would like to know what kinds of damages may be applicable in your own case, then speak to one of the Legal Expert claim advisors on the number below.

Injury And Accident Claims Calculator

We have not added a personal injury claims calculator to this page. Instead, we have provided you with actual examples of real-world compensation ranges for a number of different injuries, in the table below:

Edit
Injury Type Severity Compensation Information
Toe injury Moderate to severe Up to £49,134 The injuries sustained are going to range from damage to the soft tissues such as lacerations, scrapes and bruises, through sprains, dislocation, muscle damage and fractures, to amputation of a single toe or more.
Ankle injury Minor to severe Up to £61,134 The injuries sustained are going to range from soft tissue damage (cuts, scrapes, burns, etc.) through sprains and fractures, to paralysis or loss of function of the ankle.
Foot injury Minor to very severe Up to £96,134 The injuries sustained are going to range from lacerations, scrapes, burns, etc. through fractures, sprains and damage to the muscles, to complete loss or paralysis of the foot.
Leg injury Minor to severe Up to £120,530 The injuries sustained are going to range from scrapes, burns, lacerations, etc. through fractures, muscle damage and sprains, to complete (from the hip) or partial (from the knee) paralysis or amputation.
Hand injury Minor to serious Up to £96,150 The injuries sustained are going to range from lacerations, scrapes, burns, etc. through fractures, sprains and damage to the muscles, to complete loss or paralysis of the dominant hand.
Wrist injury Minor to severe Up to £52,490 The injuries sustained are going to range from soft tissue damage (cuts, scrapes, burns, etc.) through sprains and fractures, to paralysis or loss of function of the wrist, where an arthrodesis has been performed.
Arm injury Moderate to severe Up to £120,270 The injuries sustained are going to range from scrapes, burns, lacerations, etc. through fractures, muscle damage and sprains, to complete (from the shoulder) or partial (from the elbow) paralysis or amputation.
Finger injury Minor to severe Up to £21,910 The injuries sustained are going to range from damage to the soft tissues such as lacerations, scrapes and bruises, through sprains, dislocation, muscle damage and fractures, to amputation of a single finger or more, index or middle fingers where grip is impaired.
Thumb injury Minor to severe Up to £48,080 The injuries sustained are going to range from damage to the soft tissues such as lacerations, scrapes and bruises, through sprains, dislocation, muscle damage and fractures, to amputation of a single thumb or both.
Back injury Minor to severe Up to £141,164 The injuries sustained are going to range from tissue damage that could include bruising, cuts and lacerations, through muscle and nerve damage, fractures of the vertebrae, to full or partial paralysis of the back where a combination of and significantly impaired bladder, bowel and sexual function.
Neck injury Minor to severe Up to £130,060 The injuries sustained are going to range from tissue damage that could include bruising, cuts and lacerations, through muscle and nerve damage, fractures of the vertebrae, to full or partial paralysis of the neck, incomplete paraplegia.

For a personalised, accurate estimate of how much you could claim, please speak to one of the Legal Expert claims team on the contact number below.

No Win No Fee Flight Accident Claims Against Air France

Legal Expert can process your airline claim under a No Win No Fee agreement. What this means, is no fee to start working on your claim, no fee for us to process your claim, and no fee if we don’t get you any compensation. When we are successful, we will take our fee straight from the money we have received for you, and then give you the rest.

Why Make An Air France Aircraft Accident Claim With Legal Expert?

Legal Expert can help you to claim for Air France accidents. We do everything possible to make sure that your claim has a positive outcome. We also do all that we can to ensure that you receive the maximum level of compensation possible for your case. Speak to one of our claim advisors on the contact number below, for some free legal advice on how to proceed.

Contact Us Today

Have you been injured on an Air France flight? Do you think the airline was at fault in some way? If so, then Legal Expert could be able to help you to make a claim. Please give us a call on 0800 073 8804 and speak to one of our claims team to proceed.

Additional Resources

We included a few links in the body of the guide above; here they are again for your information:

CAA info on aircraft safety

CAA info on passenger rights

How the Montreal Convention protects passengers

UK Government information for disabled plane passengers

We also have many more guides on this site, some of which are related, such as:

A guide to making a package holiday claim

Claiming for professional negligence

How to claim for an allergic reaction

Edited by Melissa.