When an aviation accident causes catastrophic injuries or takes the life of someone you love, the legal fight ahead is unlike any other personal injury claim. Federal aviation regulations, international treaties, multiple responsible parties, and powerful corporate defendants all converge to create one of the most complex areas of civil litigation. For aviation accident victims in Chicago - home to O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport, two of the busiest hubs in the country - securing a legal team that understands both the medicine and the law is not optional. It is the difference between a fair recovery and an inadequate one.
Cirignani, Heller & Harman, LLP has spent over 40 years handling the most difficult catastrophic injury cases in Chicago. Now, CHH Law is bringing that same specialized expertise - including one licensed physician and a certified respiratory therapist on our legal team - to aviation accident cases where life-altering injuries demand attorneys who can read medical records the way a clinician would.
Our physician-attorneys understand how hypoxia damages the brain, how smoke inhalation progresses to organ failure, and what a lifetime of rehabilitative care actually costs. That clinical fluency strengthens every element of your claim - from causation to damages.
Aviation cases often involve multiple parties and extensive investigations. CHH Law has the resources and experience to manage federal regulations, coordinate with aviation experts, and take on airlines, manufacturers, and insurance companies that operate with aggressive defense strategies.
You will not be passed to a junior associate. The attorneys who evaluate your case are the ones who prepare it for trial.
Contingency fee arrangements are common among aviation accident attorneys, and CHH Law works on the same basis - you pay nothing unless we secure financial compensation for you.
Aviation accident cases may include commercial flights, private jets, and helicopter incidents. CHH Law provides comprehensive legal representation across all categories of aircraft accidents, drawing on our medical expertise to build claims that fully account for the severity of your injuries.
Commercial airline disasters - whether caused by pilot error, negligent maintenance, air traffic control failures, or design defects - produce some of the most devastating injuries in civil litigation. CHH Law represents passengers and surviving family members in wrongful death and serious injury claims against airlines, manufacturers, and maintenance providers.
We navigate both domestic aviation accident law and the Montreal Convention, which governs international aviation accident claims and establishes strict liability up to certain thresholds for international flights. Understanding how these international treaties interact with Illinois law is critical to maximizing recovery. In May 2026, a U.S. court in Chicago awarded $49.5 million to the family of a woman killed on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 - underscoring the magnitude of damages available under treaty claims when pursued by experienced aviation attorneys.
General aviation accounted for 1,070 of the 1,440 accidents in 2025, making private aircraft and corporate jets a significant source of aviation accident claims. These cases frequently involve product liability claims against aircraft or component manufacturers, pilot negligence, and failures by maintenance providers to follow proper procedures.
Aviation claims typically require a detailed understanding of liability from multiple sources. The aircraft owner, the pilot, the manufacturer, and the maintenance company may all bear responsibility. CHH Law works with accident reconstruction specialists and engineers to establish exactly what went wrong and who is accountable.
Helicopter accidents - including medical helicopter crashes, sightseeing tours, and charter operations - present unique mechanical and operational risks. Rotor system failures, mechanical failures in critical components, and inadequate maintenance are among the leading causes of aviation accidents involving helicopters.
CHH Law's medical expertise is especially valuable in helicopter crash cases, where injuries often include severe burns, spinal trauma, and traumatic brain injury. Our physician-attorneys assess both the immediate injuries and the long-term medical needs that will define your future.
Aviation accident victims face an aggressive timeline. Evidence can be lost, maintenance records can disappear, and the National Transportation Safety Board investigation process typically takes 12 to 24 months. Acting immediately protects your rights and your case.
Your free consultation begins with a thorough evaluation of your aviation accident case. Our medical team reviews your injury documentation with clinical precision - identifying injury mechanisms, treatment needs, and prognosis that other firms may miss. We also initiate preservation of critical evidence, including maintenance records, flight data recorder information, and cockpit voice recordings.
Aviation accidents require collaboration with meteorologists, accident reconstructionists, aeronautical engineers, and technical experts who can establish what caused the accident and who is responsible. Our physician-attorneys conduct an independent medical analysis of your injuries, providing a level of detail that strengthens both liability arguments and damage calculations. We coordinate with federal agencies, review Federal Aviation Administration regulations and safety directives, and build a case that accounts for every responsible party.
It is important to note that while the NTSB investigates aviation incidents and determines probable cause, its final reports are generally not admissible in civil litigation for damages under federal statute. However, factual data from the public docket - including flight data and ATC transcripts - can be used. Knowing how to navigate these evidentiary rules is essential in complex aviation litigation.
Insurance companies operate with one goal: minimizing what they pay. Airlines and aircraft manufacturers deploy substantial legal resources to push for early dismissal or low settlement offers. CHH Law counters with thorough preparation, credible medical expert testimony, and a demonstrated willingness to go to trial. Our goal is maximum compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, long-term rehabilitation, and wrongful death damages for surviving family members.
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All of the CHH attorneys are exceptionally knowledgeable, and they confidently took our case, when many other big firms would not...and Dan Pylman won our case!
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I can honestly say I felt the compassion from each member of the CHH team. You CAN NOT go wrong choosing CHH.
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Bill Cirignani is a true professional. He blended compassion with clinical expertise, and we always felt we were in good hands. Which we were – the case settled in our favor. Thank you Bill!
CHH Law represents aviation accident victims throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and Northern Illinois, including:
Chicago and surrounding Cook County communities
O'Hare International Airport - one of the world's busiest airports and a frequent site of aviation incidents
Midway Airport and Southwest Side neighborhoods
DuPage, Lake, Will, and Kane Counties
Federal court jurisdictions throughout Illinois for aviation cases involving federal regulations or international laws
Under Illinois law, the statute of limitations is two years for personal injury claims and wrongful death litigation arising from aviation accidents. This deadline applies from the date the accident occurred. However, aviation accident cases involving international flights may be subject to different timelines under the Montreal Convention, and claims against government entities - such as air traffic control or airport authorities - may require earlier notice. In 2022, there were 1,113 aviation accidents in the U.S.; in 2025, there were 1,440 total aviation accidents. Many of those cases were time-barred because victims waited too long. Contact CHH Law immediately to protect your claim.
Aviation accident cases are governed by a layered framework of Federal Aviation Regulations, international treaties, and state tort law. Pilot error accounts for approximately 53% of aircraft accidents, mechanical failures are responsible for 21% of aviation accidents, and weather conditions account for 11%. Sabotage and ground crew error are also common causes of aviation accidents. Aviation accident claims often involve multiple responsible parties - airlines, manufacturers, maintenance providers, and even government entities - and the involvement of powerful corporate defendants is common. Aviation accidents require understanding complex aviation regulations and aircraft mechanics at a level far beyond standard personal injury claims.
Proven results and trial experience should be important factors when selecting an aviation attorney. Experienced aviation lawyers work with accident reconstruction specialists and engineers to build cases that can withstand the resources of the aviation industry's defense teams. For context, Clifford Law Offices has represented victims in major crashes for 40 years, including over 70 victims from the 2019 Boeing crash. Todd A. Smith has 35 years of aviation law experience. Smith LaCien LLP has recovered over $3 billion in settlements. Willens & Baez secured a $1.75 million settlement for a plane crash victim. Paul Padda Law handles complex federal investigations in aviation cases. CHH Law brings a unique advantage to this landscape: clinical medical expertise that no other Chicago aviation accident attorneys can match.
Aviation accidents produce some of the most severe injuries in personal injury law - traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, burn trauma, crush injuries, and respiratory damage from smoke inhalation. Our physician-attorneys can interpret medical records and understand injury mechanisms at a clinical level, which means we can accurately evaluate long-term medical needs, calculate lifetime care costs, and establish medical causation with a credibility that strengthens every stage of the legal process. The attorney's ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly is crucial, and our medical training makes us exceptionally effective at translating clinical realities for judges and juries.
Victims can recover damages for medical expenses and lost income, both current and future. Compensation may include damages for pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and emotional distress. In wrongful death cases, surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and loss of companionship. Long-term rehabilitation, assistive devices, and ongoing medical monitoring are also compensable. CHH Law's physician-attorneys ensure that no category of damage - especially future medical needs - is undervalued.
Aviation accident cases are uniquely time-sensitive. Critical evidence degrades, maintenance records can be altered, and Illinois law allows just two years to file an aviation accident lawsuit. Every day you wait weakens your position against defendants with vast legal and corporate resources.
CHH Law brings over 40 years of catastrophic injury expertise and a legal team with the medical training to understand your injuries at the deepest level. If you or a family member has been harmed in an airplane accident, helicopter crash, or any aviation disaster in the Chicago area, contact us now for a free case evaluation.
