Aviation Personal Injury Law
Aviation injury claims arise from turbulence, fellow passengers, airport personnel, defective equipment, delayed medical care, and a range of other causes. The laws governing them are arcane, and the traps for the unwary are numerous. I have spent decades on both sides of these cases.
Deadlines for aviation injury claims can be as short as two years under the Montreal Convention. Contact me today before evidence disappears and deadlines pass.
Practice Areas
Aviation injury law sits at the intersection of federal statutes, international treaties, and carrier-specific regulations that most personal injury attorneys have never encountered. I concentrate exclusively in this field.
Severe or unexpected turbulence can cause serious spinal, head, and orthopedic injuries. Airlines may be liable when turbulence was foreseeable, when crew failed to issue timely seatbelt warnings, or when other contributing conditions were present.
turbulence injury lawsuit | airplane turbulence attorney | in-flight injury claim
Discuss your case →Luggage falling from overhead bins is one of the most common causes of serious head and shoulder injuries to airline passengers. I investigate crew negligence, bin latch failures, and carrier loading and stowage policies that may have contributed.
overhead bin injury lawyer | falling luggage airplane | airline negligence attorney
Discuss your case →Slip-and-fall accidents on jetways, air stairs, and tarmacs, along with injuries during the boarding and deplaning process, can result in serious fractures and ligament damage. These claims arise under federal and state tort law, and may also fall under the Montreal Convention when part of an international itinerary.
airport slip and fall attorney | boarding injury claim | tarmac accident lawyer | jetway injury
Discuss your case →The Montreal Convention governs injuries occurring on board an aircraft or during embarking and deplaning on any itinerary that includes an international destination. This covers domestic connecting flights that are part of an international trip. Crucially, liability is not limited to airline negligence: injuries caused by other passengers, airport personnel, or other external events can all be covered, as long as the injury arose from an unexpected or unusual event that was external to the passenger.
Montreal Convention attorney | international airline injury claim | connecting flight injury covered | passenger-caused injury international flight
Discuss your case →Burns caused by spilled hot coffee, tea, or other in-flight beverages are a well-recognized class of aviation injury claim. Airlines can be liable for crew negligence, improper serving practices, and failure to take appropriate precautions.
airplane burn injury lawyer | airline hot coffee spill | in-flight scald injury attorney
Discuss your case →Airlines have a duty to summon qualified medical assistance, deploy available onboard medical equipment, and divert the aircraft when a passenger's condition demands it. Failure to act promptly and appropriately can give rise to a serious negligence claim, including in cases where delayed care worsened an injury that arose from a separate in-flight incident.
airline failure to provide first aid | in-flight medical emergency negligence | airplane diversion duty | airline medical negligence attorney
Discuss your case →Broken tray tables, shattered glassware, exposed seat-frame components, and jagged overhead bin hardware can cause serious lacerations and puncture wounds. These claims typically involve both product liability theories against equipment manufacturers and operational negligence claims against the carrier.
airline laceration injury | airplane cut injury lawsuit | broken tray table injury | defective aircraft seat attorney
Discuss your case →Beverage and meal carts operated carelessly in the aisle can strike seated passengers in the knee, ankle, or foot. Crew members who physically handle or move passengers in an unreasonable manner can also create liability for the carrier.
airline service cart injury | beverage cart accident airplane | flight attendant injury attorney
Discuss your case →If a family member died as a result of aviation negligence or an in-flight accident, I pursue maximum compensation for surviving family members, including loss of financial support, consortium, and all other recoverable damages under applicable law.
aviation wrongful death attorney | airline death claim lawyer | flight fatality lawsuit
Discuss your case →Why John McKay
Before representing injured passengers, I spent years on the defense side of these claims, both as a defense trial lawyer working for the airlines and their insurance companies, and as an aviation insurance company executive managing other law firms handling the defense of airline and aircraft manufacturer claims for such companies as The Boeing Company, GE Aviation, and Intel. That experience is your advantage.
Defense Lawyer and Insurance Executive Knowledge
I practiced many years as an airline defense attorney, and I served as a Claims Attorney at one of the world's leading aviation insurers, managing the defense of major airline and aircraft manufacturer claims worldwide, including those arising from catastrophic aviation disasters. I know precisely how insurers evaluate cases, how defense counsel builds strategy, and where the leverage points are.
Pilot-Attorney Advantage
Holding a Commercial Pilot Certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings, I can evaluate technical evidence that most personal injury attorneys cannot: cockpit decisions, ATC communications, weather data, maintenance records, and aircraft performance analysis. I have also logged time at the controls of a modern commercial airliner in a full-motion simulator of the type used to train airline pilots, giving me a working familiarity with the flight deck environment that is uncommon among aviation litigators.
Montreal Convention Expertise
The Montreal Convention's procedural requirements and strict deadlines have ended many valid claims before they began. I have spent decades navigating international aviation liability law to ensure clients are never procedurally barred from the recovery they deserve. I am also a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association.
Licensed Across Ten Jurisdictions
I am licensed as an Attorney at Law in California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, New York, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia; as a Barrister and Solicitor in Ontario; and as a Solicitor in England and Wales.
Representative Result
Jury verdict obtained against Delta Air Lines on behalf of an injured passenger.
Jury Verdict
Against American Airlines for turbulence injuries.
Additional Recoveries
Confidential settlements across a broad range of aviation injury claims.
Client Testimonial
"John McKay is the kind of ethical, competent lawyer everyone hopes they can hire, plain and simple."
D.S. & J.S., former clients
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
About John McKay
Park Avenue Law LLC
My path to representing injured passengers began by defending airlines against passenger claims and was further shaped by years spent inside the aviation insurance industry. After years of defending the airlines, I moved in-house as a Claims Attorney at one of the world's leading aviation insurers, where I managed the worldwide defense of major airline and aircraft manufacturer claims, including those arising from some of the most significant aviation disasters of the modern era.
That experience gave me a granular understanding of how insurers evaluate cases, how defense counsel builds litigation strategy, and where the leverage points are. I brought that knowledge to the plaintiff's side, and I have been using it there ever since. Results have included a $1.3 million jury verdict against Delta Air Lines, an $800,000 jury verdict against American Airlines, and numerous five- and six-figure settlements across a wide range of aviation injury matters.
I hold a Commercial Pilot Certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings, which allows me to evaluate technical aeronautical evidence that most personal injury attorneys are not equipped to analyze. I have also logged time at the controls of a modern commercial airliner in a professional full-motion simulator, an experience that is rare among aviation litigators and that informs how I approach flight deck evidence. I am a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association. I have taught Aviation Law and Commercial Pilot Knowledge as Adjunct Faculty at Vermont State University. I hold a B.A. with Distinction from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law, where I received the Best Advocate Award at graduation and was a member of the school's Moot Court team.
Park Avenue Law LLC maintains offices in Sacramento, CA; St. Petersburg, FL; and Toronto, ON, and I represent clients worldwide.
Client Testimonials
"John is one of the best attorneys I have known. He took my case when three other attorneys declined it because they did not believe it was worthy. John fought for me for two years and got me the highest settlement money ever possible."
"Dealing with a corporate entity like American Airlines could have been intimidating, but John's professionalism, communication, and expertise made this so much easier to deal with. He was also very considerate and compassionate given the sensitivity of the case."
"It was a pleasure working with John. Communication with him was easy and he made sure to explain things very clearly at every stage in winning our settlement against Alitalia."
"After having an accident on an American Airlines flight I obtained Mr. McKay's legal assistance. He understood my situation and provided top-notch service. I had 100% trust in all of the decisions he made. He is not only a professional but a compassionate person, a quality that is hard to find these days."
"Attorney McKay is a very knowledgeable person. His skills won our very long and complicated case. Throughout, he listened to our concerns and prepared us according to his experiences and the law. At some point we trusted him as family. We strongly recommend Attorney McKay, for he is the best in his field."
"John McKay was nothing short of amazing. If you need a professional and competent litigator, John McKay is by far the best in the profession."
Aviation Law Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Free Case Review
Initial consultations are completely free and confidential. For most personal injury and wrongful death cases, I work on a contingency fee basis: I only get paid if you win, and you owe nothing unless I recover compensation for you.
Principal Office (but see the note below)
2801 N Street
Sacramento, CA
Additional Offices (but see the note below)
St. Petersburg, FL • Toronto, ON
I represent clients worldwide and am available by text, email, and video conference regardless of your location.
Note on office locations: My listed offices reflect where I maintain a physical presence, but aviation injury cases are litigated in federal and state courts nationwide. I can associate with local counsel at no additional charge to you if we need to file suit in a jurisdiction where I am not licensed. In all such situations, I remain fully in charge of your case.
