Hot air balloon accident victims suffer personal injury

During the summer months, many Pennsylvania residents seek to take advantage of the nice weather and engage in fun recreational activities with friends and family. One of these activities, hot air ballooning, can be an excellent way to see new vistas. However, such an activity comes with its own set of inherent dangers. Unfortunately, a recent hot air balloon accident resulted in personal injury for three individuals.

According to authorities, the accident occurred on a recent Sunday in Lancaster County. A hot air balloon landed in a New Holland field, but as the balloon itself was deflating, it struck nearby power lines. This resulted in severe shock and burn injuries for the three people on board.

When emergency responders arrived, a bystander was giving CPR to one of the occupants, a 48-year-old woman, who had gone into cardiac arrest. The other two victims, a 53-year-old male passenger as well as the 55-year-old male pilot, were found to be unresponsive. They were all rushed to a local medical center, where the woman was listed in critical but stable condition, and the two men were in stable condition, according to the authorities.

It’s not clear why the hot air balloon pilot decided to land the balloon in such close proximity to overheard power lines, and it is possible that pilot error was to blame for misjudging the situation. The accident victims are likely entitled to file Pennsylvania personal injury claims against the pilot as well as the owner of the balloon company. Successfully navigated, damages from a personal injury claim can assuage some of the financial issues often encountered by accident victims, such as current and future medical bills as well as lost income and pain and suffering.

Source: 6abc.com, “3 injured in hot air balloon accident in Lancaster County“, August 16, 2015