What if I am Injured in an Airport in Florida?

Thanksgiving is typically the busiest travel week of the year, with Covid vaccination rates having gone up and new infection numbers down in many parts of the country, including in Florida, this will be true again, especially in airports. Several airlines have indicated they believe that the passenger counts will even be similar to pre-pandemic levels. However, this will likely translate to many more incidents involving altercations between passengers jostling one another for limited space in overhead bins, possibly causing injuries on the planes. More passengers could be injured in various types of incidents within the airport, whether a slip and fall on a wet airport bathroom floor, a fall down or off an escalator, or any of the other types of incidents that can cause injuries in the airport.

If you are injured at an airport in Florida, then you are entitled to recover compensation for your injuries and other losses as a result of the incident in which you were injured, but it is important in seeking compensation that you maximize your opportunity to recover the full amount of your losses by including all parties that may have had any role in the incident as parties to your personal injury claim or lawsuit. This is particularly important if you are injured at an airport in Florida given that most airports are operated by various arms of the local government, which means that the amount of damages you can recover against that entity are capped under Florida law. An experienced personal injury attorney like the attorneys of Schwed, Adams & McGinley will thus include not only the airport authority as a defendant in any personal injury lawsuit associated with your injuries, but also any other party that had any involvement whatsoever to ensure that you seek, and recover, compensation from all parties that could potentially be liable in connection with the incident in which you were injured.

Who Runs Most Florida Airports?

In most cases, your local airport is owned and operated by an arm of the local municipality or county and then certain functions at that airport may be performed by private contractors pursuant to contracts with the airport authority. For example, Broward County owns and operates the Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport through the Broward County Aviation Department, whereas the Palm Beach International Airport is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County’s Department of Airports.

In Florida, there are caps for suing any local or other government entity, including an airport authority that is an arm of a county or city. They are $200,000 where there is a single injured party and $300,000 where multiple claimants were injured in the same incident. This is important because some attorneys may simply choose to go after the applicable airport authority when representing a client who has been injured in an incident at an airport. However, this often leaves money on the table for the injured party, because it is very rare that only the airport authority would have any liability in connection with an injury that occurs at an airport.

Ensuring All Parties From an Airport Injury are in the Case

Those caps that may apply to the governmental entity that owns and operates an airport do not apply to private contractors that may perform work or services at the airport. Therefore, in the case of a slip and fall that took place because an employee of the cleaning company that cleans an airport’s bathrooms used too much water when mopping the restroom floors and the floors were too slick, then both the cleaning company, as well as, the airport authority could be liable to someone who is injured in the airport bathroom. One of the reasons it is so important to sue not only the airport authority, but also the janitorial services provider in that scenario is that the airport authority will have a limit on the amount that you can recover from it, whereas the cleaning company will not. Experienced personal injury attorneys will find as many parties to include in any lawsuit as possible to ensure that you are fully compensated for your losses and injuries as a result of someone else’s negligence. In this scenario, it would mean suing the airport authority, its janitorial services provider, as well as any other party that may have played a role in the incident in which you were injured. 

Contact Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A.

Slip and falls and other personal injury scenarios occur at airports in Florida, particularly when the airports are packed with travelers during busiest travel times like the holidays. At Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A., our experienced personal injury attorneys have more than 150 years of combined legal practice representing victims of slip and fall incidents and other personal injury scenarios in Florida, including at the airport. If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence in an incident at an airport, regardless of how you were injured or whose negligence caused the situation, then you have the right under Florida law to receive compensation for your injuries. Therefore, if you, a family member, or a loved one have been injured in a slip and fall incident or any other situation caused by someone else’s negligence at an airport in Florida, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A today at 877-694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation.