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Sacramento Air Ambulance Accident Attorney

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Attorney Michael Rehm - (916) 233-7346

Air ambulance helicopters and fixed-wing medical transport aircraft operate throughout the Sacramento region, serving UC Davis Medical Center, Sutter Medical Center, Dignity Health hospitals, and trauma scenes across the Sacramento Valley. When a HEMS (helicopter emergency medical services) aircraft crashes — on approach, on departure, or during a patient transport — the legal framework involves aviation law, medical transport regulations, and California personal injury doctrine simultaneously. Attorney Michael Rehm represents patients being transported, crew members, and bystanders injured or killed in air ambulance accidents throughout Sacramento County and Northern California.

Cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. The complete California aviation legal framework is on the California aviation accident attorney page. The Sacramento regional overview is on the Sacramento aviation accident attorney page.

The Regulatory Framework: Part 135 Air Carrier Operations

Air ambulance operations are conducted under 14 C.F.R. Part 135, the FAA air carrier and commercial operator regulations. Part 135 imposes significantly more demanding requirements than Part 91: mandatory maintenance programs, pilot qualification and currency standards, flight and duty time limitations, instrument currency requirements, and operational control procedures. A Part 135 air ambulance operator who violates any of these requirements and causes an accident has violated the specific regulation designed to prevent that accident — supporting a negligence per se claim under California Evidence Code section 669.

HEMS-Specific Risk Factors

Air ambulance operations carry distinct risk factors documented across decades of NTSB accident investigations: night operations where inadvertent flight into IMC is most likely; operational pressure to complete missions in marginal weather; low-altitude maneuvering on hospital helipads in confined areas; and single-pilot operations without a first officer. An air ambulance operator whose policies, procedures, or crew resource management failures contributed to any of these risk factors faces liability for the resulting harm — not just for the individual crew member's decisions but for the systemic conditions that made the accident foreseeable.

Pilot and Operator Negligence

Air ambulance accident claims most commonly arise from: continued VFR flight into IMC; failure to abort when conditions deteriorate below minimums; spatial disorientation; fuel exhaustion or mismanagement; mechanical failure following deferred maintenance; and inadequate pilot training or currency. A pilot who continues into deteriorating weather in violation of Part 135 weather minimums has violated the specific regulation designed to prevent CFIT accidents. An operator whose maintenance records show deferred airworthiness directives has failed the Part 135 airworthiness requirement.

Aircraft Owner Liability

California Public Utilities Code section 21404 imposes liability on the owner of an aircraft for injury or damage caused by its operation with the owner's permission. In air ambulance operations, the aircraft owner — which may be a separate entity from the operating company — is liable under section 21404 for harm caused by the permitted operation.

GARA and Air Ambulance Aircraft

The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 (49 U.S.C. § 40101 note) bars product liability claims against manufacturers of general aviation aircraft and components more than 18 years old — with exceptions. The commercial use exception is significant: GARA does not apply to aircraft used in commercial aviation at the time of the accident. A Part 135 air ambulance is a commercial operation. Where a component failure caused the crash, GARA's 18-year repose period may not bar a claim against the manufacturer if the aircraft was conducting a commercial HEMS flight at the time.

Damages

Air ambulance accident victims and their families can recover past and future medical expenses, lost earnings and impaired earning capacity, and noneconomic damages for pain and suffering. There is no statutory cap on noneconomic damages. Under Civil Code § 1431.2, noneconomic damages are several only among multiple defendants. Fatal accidents are governed by CCP section 377.60 (wrongful death) and section 377.30 (survival). The statute of limitations is two years under CCP section 335.1. Government entity involvement requires a tort claim under Government Code section 912.2 within six months.

Related Pages

Attorney Michael Rehm represents air ambulance accident victims throughout Sacramento County and Northern California on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (916) 233-7346 to arrange a free consultation.

The information on this page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. The law can change — statutes are amended, cases are decided, and regulations are revised; nothing on this page should be relied upon as a statement of current law without verification. Deadlines and legal bars discussed on this page are general guides — whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling, and whether a particular doctrine bars or limits recovery in your case, requires individual analysis. Contact Attorney Michael Rehm to discuss the specific facts of your situation.

Southern California Areas Served:

Phone: (619) 787-3456 Areas Served: San Diego, Vista, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, El Centro, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona, Torrance, Pasadena, El Monte, Downey, West Covina, Norwalk, Burbank, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Costa Mesa, Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Ventura, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Temecula, Bakersfield, Clovis, and everywhere in between.

Bay Area Areas Served

Phone: (831) 431-0986 Areas Served: Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Watsonville, Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Carmel, San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Livermore, Concord, Richmond, Walnut Creek, Antioch, San Rafael, Novato, San Jose, Morgan Hill, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Napa, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Dixon, Solano County, San Benito, Daly City, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Redwood City, Belmont, San Carlos, San Bruno, Pleasanton, Union City, San Leandro, Milpitas, Pittsburg, Danville, Rohnert Park and the entire Bay Area.

Northern California Office & Areas Served

2121 Broadway Unit 188860 Sacramento, CA 95818 Phone: (916) 233-7346 Areas Served: Sacramento, Elk Grove, Antelope, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, the friendly confines of Land Park, Folsom, Yolo, Woodland, West Sacramento, Davis, Placerville, South Lake Tahoe, Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Auburn, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Yuba City, Marysville, Wheatland, Colusa, San Joaquin County, Lodi, Manteca, Stockton, Tracy, Lathrop, Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale, Stanislaus County, Humboldt County, Arcata, Mckinleyville, Fortuna, Eureka, Butte County, Oroville, Paradise, Chico, Mendocino, Ukiah, Colusa, Shasta County, Redding, Calaveras, Yreka, Amador, Jackson, Lassen, Susanville, Plumas County, Quincy, Nevada County, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee, Lakeport, Sonora, Madera, Crescent City, Trinity, and all of Northern California.

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