KTAR News reported that a medical helicopter crashed off Catalina Island near Los Angeles on Wednesday night, killing two people and leaving two others hospitalized, according to authorities. A Los Angeles County Fire engineer confirmed the two deaths and said two people were taken to local hospitals while a fifth person remained missing, as reported by KTLA-TV. No cause has been announced and no findings of responsibility have been made.
Under Arizona law, a death caused by another party's wrongful act creates two separate claims. The wrongful death action, governed by A.R.S. § 12-611 to 12-613, belongs to the surviving spouse, children, parents, or the personal representative of the estate, and compensates survivors for lost income, lost companionship, and their own grief. The survival action under A.R.S. § 14-3110 belongs to the estate and covers what the person who died lost before death, including medical expenses and pain endured. Both normally must be filed within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542. When a public entity or public employee may be responsible, A.R.S. § 12-821.01 requires a written notice of claim served within 180 days of when the claim accrues, and missing that deadline bars the case no matter how strong it is. A finding that the person who died was partly at fault reduces recovery proportionally under A.R.S. § 12-2505; it does not eliminate it.
The 180-Day Notice Deadline Is the One That Catches People
Most Arizona injury and death claims run on the two-year clock in A.R.S. § 12-542. But air ambulance and emergency transport operations frequently involve county fire departments, hospital districts, municipalities, or state entities. If any public entity or public employee is a potential defendant, A.R.S. § 12-821.01 requires a written notice of claim delivered to that entity within 180 days of when the claim accrues. The notice must state the facts supporting the claim and a specific amount for which the claim can be settled. Courts enforce this strictly. Families who wait until they feel ready, or who assume the two-year deadline is the only one, lose claims that had merit.
Because it is often unclear at the start whether a public entity is involved, the safe approach is to identify every entity connected to the operation early and serve notice on any that could be implicated.
Who Can Be Held Responsible in an Aircraft Case
Aviation claims rarely come down to one party. Potential defendants can include the aircraft owner, the operator, the maintenance provider, the manufacturer of a component that failed, and the entity that contracted for the flight. Determining which of those, if any, bears responsibility depends on investigation findings that take months and sometimes longer to produce. Federal investigators handle the crash inquiry; a civil claim is a separate process with its own evidence and its own deadlines, and those deadlines do not pause while an investigation continues.
If a surviving family member is told to wait for an official report before doing anything, understand that the two-year period in A.R.S. § 12-542 and the 180-day period in A.R.S. § 12-821.01 keep running regardless.
Practical Steps in the First Weeks
Open a probate estate or have a personal representative appointed. A survival action under A.R.S. § 14-3110 can only be brought by the estate, and that appointment takes time. Preserve every document you receive: hospital records, billing statements, correspondence from insurers, and anything from the operator or its representatives. Write down the names and titles of anyone who contacts you and what they said. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurer or an operator's representative before you understand what claims exist, and do not sign a release in exchange for an early payment; a release usually ends every claim against that party permanently. If a family member survived with injuries, keep treatment consistent and documented, because gaps in care are routinely used to argue that injuries were minor.
If you lost a family member or were hurt in a transport or vehicle incident in Arizona, our Arizona car and vehicle accident attorneys can explain which deadlines apply to your situation.