More than almost anywhere else on Earth, the western United States is famous for its wide-open spaces, and nowhere are they more beautiful than they are in New Mexico. You could go for a walk and take in the scenery, but temperatures get dangerously hot in many parts of New Mexico. You could travel by airplane, but you would cross the entire state in less than an hour, and what fun is that? A hot air balloon gives you just the right mix of aerial views and leisurely speeds. It takes courage to ride in a hot air balloon, but the hot air balloon predates the automobile as a mode of transportation, and it is at least as safe; cars have the highest rate of fatal accidents of any passenger vehicle. The legal implications of a hot air balloon accident depend on the circumstances of a hot air balloon ride. If you paid to ride in a hot air balloon, but the balloon ride ended with you getting injured, contact a Santa Fe slip-and-fall and premises liability lawyer.
What Can Go Wrong With a Hot Air Balloon?
In the past 20 years, numerous hot air balloons have floated over New Mexico, most of them reaching their destinations safely. The National Transportation Safety Board has recorded four fatal hot air balloon accidents in New Mexico in recent years. In January 2021, a hot air balloon made a hard landing, causing a passenger to be ejected from the balloon’s passenger compartment; this accident occurred near Rio Rancho. All of the other fatal hot air balloon accidents involved the balloons colliding with power lines. One accident happened in 2007 near Albuquerque, with a passenger falling out of a balloon after it bounced off of a power line. The other was a 2008 accident near Bernalillo, where the balloon’s pilot was electrocuted by the power lines.
The deadliest accident happened in June 2021. Four employees of Albuquerque Public Schools, two of whom were a married couple celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary, rode in a hot air balloon operated by a commercial company; the fifth occupant was a professional hot air balloon pilot. When the balloon collided with power lines, its passenger compartment detached from the inflated balloon and fell 78 feet to the ground, killing all five occupants onboard. An investigation report published in 2023 revealed that the pilot was under the influence of cocaine and cannabis at the time of the ride. The victims’ families filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hot air balloon tour company, alleging premises liability. Premises liability laws protect customers of recreational tour companies and amusement parks who get injured when a ride malfunctions; in this case, the pilot’s drug intoxication is a clear case of negligence.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in hot air balloon accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
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Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash