Space Coast Aerospace Injury Lawyer
A Space Coast aerospace injury lawyer at Platt Cole Russell & Simpson represents launch-site workers, federal contractors, pilots, and Brevard County residents harmed in aerospace accident, construction accident, and aviation accident cases. We pursue full compensation that reaches beyond workers’ compensation.
Our law firm handles the entire case on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients don’t pay anything unless we win. Call 321-725-3425 or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation.
Representing Defense & Aerospace Contractors, Workers, & Other Accident Victims Across the Space Coast Region
Our personal injury law firm serves the Space Coast from the heart of Brevard County, Florida. Our aerospace and aviation accident lawyers represent injured workers, contractors, and grieving families from Titusville to Palm Bay.
- Titusville, Kennedy Space Center & Merritt Island corridor
- Cape Canaveral Space Force Station & surrounding areas
- Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, & Rockledge
- Satellite Beach & the Patrick Space Force Base area
- Merritt Island & the SR 3 & NASA Causeway corridor
- Palm Bay & Melbourne, home to our office at 175 East NASA Blvd, Suite 300
- Viera & the greater Brevard County
We have a proven track record of success negotiating with insurance adjusters and securing maximum compensation in trials when insurance companies don’t offer fair settlements. If someone else’s negligence contributed to a serious injury or fatality, contact our personal injury attorneys serving Brevard County to schedule a free consultation.
Common Aerospace & Defense Accidents We Handle in Brevard County
As the world leader in rocket launches, more opportunities for Brevard County rocket launch accidents exist.
The region experienced a record-breaking 109 launches across Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center in 2025. As this expands, so does the risk of workplace injuries. Our Brevard County aerospace and aviation injury lawyers handle the following types of personal injury claims and more.
Launch Pad and Static Fire Explosions at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center
Propellant and cryogenics technicians, pad and integration crews, ironworkers, crane operators, and quality inspectors at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral work in dangerous conditions. With the largest buildout in decades, the danger is multiplied. Reports show ~17,675 aerospace and aviation workers in Brevard County, up from 10,684 workers 5 years ago.
Current and future projects include:
- SpaceX Starship Expansion Project: Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) overhaul, additional launch pads at Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37), and raising the Gigabay Facility
- Blue Origin Florida Expansion: Upper-stage factory on Merritt Island, Project Alpha component refurbishment facility, and LC-36B (North Pad) expansion
- Relativity Space Terran R Scale-up
- Amazon’s Project Kuiper: Manufacturing satellites on Merritt Island
- United Launch Alliance: Flies Vulcan from Space Launch Complex 41
- NASA Artemis program: Orion and SLS work at Kennedy Space Center.
Workers involved in static fires or launch pad accidents in Brevard County often suffer severe burns, blast trauma, and hearing loss. Here, full recovery usually reaches beyond workers’ compensation. Our law firm builds strong cases for serious injuries in Brevard County against all liable parties after:
- Propellant ignition and deflagration
- Pressure-vessel or COPV rupture
- Cryogenic exposure
- Thermal & blast burns
- Hearing loss & traumatic brain injury
- Falls during pad access
General Aviation and Small Plane Crashes in Brevard County
Personal aircraft fly locally, from Space Coast Regional Airport to Orlando Melbourne International. The most common causes of private plane crashes in Brevard County involve fuel starvation, engine failure, or lack of maintenance. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tracked dozens of general aviation accidents in Florida in 2025. State-specific documentation reported at least 53 aviation accidents through the late summer.
Coastal flying adds hazards, including offshore water ditchings over the Atlantic via the Sebastian Inlet and Port Canaveral and along the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River. Determining fault relies on thorough investigations involving NTSB documents, maintenance records, and product-defect analysis, and private plane crash survivors frequently suffer traumatic brain injuries, significant spinal cord damage, or worse. Our law firm also assists surviving family members in fatal accident claims across Brevard County in the aftermath of private plane crashes and other general aviation accidents.
Industrial, Construction Site & Launch-Site Construction Injuries
Construction sites for building and maintaining launch infrastructure is high-risk. Crews are at risk of falls, scaffold and structural failures, rigging and crane incidents, electrocutions from exposed wiring, inadvertent component ignition, and other hazardous conditions. Under OSHA’s Focus Four Hazards, falls are the most common cause of fatal construction injuries.
Apart from the rocket and spaceflight expansions, current and potential construction sites include:
- Melbourne Orlando International Airport construction
- Argotec Space Coast Facility
- Northrop Grumman Design & Integration Centers
- Satys Aircraft Refurbishment Hangar
- Space Coast Innovation Park
- Project BEEP / Project Forge
- Project Griffin
Launch complexes, integration facilities, and range projects are usually multi-employer construction sites, which is exactly where third-party liability matters. When another contractor or subcontractor, property operator, or equipment maker causes the harm, workers with serious construction injury cases can seek compensation beyond workers’ compensation. Our launch site construction accident lawyers handle claims involving unsafe property and job-site conditions in Brevard County. We have extensive experience navigating claims for disabling spinal cord and back injuries, traumatic brain injuries, crush injuries, and other catastrophic construction injuries from:
- Falls from towers, gantries, and scaffolds
- Crane and rigging failures
- Struck-by falling equipment
- Electrocution
- Trench collapse and structural failure
- Inadvertent ordnance or component ignition
Aerospace Worker Commuter and Test-Strip Collisions
The routes that feed launch sites and related construction sites are some of the busiest in the country. Traffic on the NASA Causeway and SR 405, SR 3, SR 401, US 1, I-95, and the Beachline produces serious high-speed crashes, some involving commercial and company vehicle crashes in Brevard County and some involving passenger cars.
These cases can also involve experimental or test vehicles and runway operations, where the equipment and the crashes are anything but ordinary. Our law firm conducts thorough investigations, preserves evidence, and recovers compensation. We handle car accident claims across Brevard County for personal injuries involving both commercial drivers and passenger cars. Whether you’re a civilian or defense contractor injured in a crash in Brevard County, our motor vehicle accident practice can help ensure your family is fairly compensated.
Liability When Aviation & Aerospace Accidents Happen: Florida Law & Federal Law
Aerospace, aviation, and related construction injuries rarely have single answers for who pays. When aerospace or aviation accidents occur, they can involve Florida workers’ compensation, third-party liability, and federal programs. Additionally, Florida’s modified comparative fault rule affects recovery amounts. As long as you’re 50% or less responsible, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
Our Brevard County aerospace injury lawyer team has a proven track record of accurately identifying all responsible parties. We don’t automatically accept that employers are the only party who causes accidents. When aviation, aerospace, defense, or related infrastructure or construction accidents happen, we account for all contributions. Parties who may share liability can include:
- Employers
- On-site contractors and subcontractors
- Component, propellant, and equipment manufacturers
- Facility or property owners or operators
- Drivers or vehicle operators
- In some cases, federal agencies
Florida Workers’ Compensation: Limits for Injured Aerospace, Aviation, Construction & Defense Workers
Florida workers’ compensation is typically the exclusive remedy for employer negligence. It pays medical care and a portion of lost wages without requiring victims to prove fault. This helps injured workers get medical treatment quickly. However, it bars most lawsuits against employers.
In Florida, workers’ compensation doesn’t compensate for pain and suffering. Wage replacement only covers part of your income. For catastrophic launch-site or aviation injuries, victims suffer financially.
A Brevard County aviation accident attorney can help determine if there are other responsible parties to expand victims’ compensation.
Equipment Manufacturers & Other Third-Party Liability Claims
When equipment manufacturers, property owners, drivers, or someone other than your employer’s negligence caused or contributed to an aerospace or aviation accident, victims can pursue a third-party product or personal injury claim alongside workers’ compensation.
Equipment failure or another contractor’s negligence can support a claim that recovers medical expenses, lost wages and future income losses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other damages, not just medical care and a part of lost income.
In product liability claims, defendants can often be held strictly liable for negligence or breach of warranty, depending on how the equipment failed and who sold it. These injury cases demand Brevard County aviation and aerospace injury lawyers who can quickly gather evidence and hire technical experts. If insurance companies stall or lowball, our team can also handle disputes with insurers over Brevard County claims.
Federal Contractor & Federal Employee Injury Claims
Hiring the right Space Coast federal contractor injury attorney matters. Federal civil servants, including NASA and Space Force civilian employees, are generally covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA).
The Defense Base Act and Longshore program extend a similar longshore and harbor workers’ compensation to contractors/subcontractor employees working outside the country on public-works and defense contracts. It generally doesn’t cover onsite work at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral, so this mainly matters for:
- U.S. military bases in other countries
- Missile defense installations
- Satellite tracking and communications facilities
- Overseas launch support operations
- Defense infrastructure or construction sites funded by the government
Personal injury cases against federal agencies typically fall under the Federal Tort Claims Act. FTCA claims require a Standard Form 95 before any lawsuit and carry their own deadlines and exceptions. The difference here is that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are considered federal property. Our Brevard County federal contractor and defense employee injury attorneys can evaluate whether your personal injury case is handled under federal law, Florida law, or the two combined.
Aviation Accidents Caused By Air Traffic Control Errors
Not all plane crashes or aviation accidents are caused by pilot error. Air traffic control guides aircraft through busy Brevard County airspace shared by commercial planes, general aviation, and launch operations. When an air traffic controller gives incorrect instructions, fails to keep aircraft separated, or fails to warn, the air traffic controller’s negligence can cause plane crashes or other aviation collisions.
Because air traffic control is operated by the FAA, these aviation accident claims typically fall under the FTCA. Separate claims can apply when private contract towers are involved. Holding air traffic control accountable requires recorded communications, radar data, and expert analysis. Families trust our Brevard County aviation accident lawyers to prove negligence caused these serious accidents and secure fair compensation for the harm suffered.
Maritime Workers & Harbor Worker Injuries at Port Canaveral
Booster-recovery droneships and their crewed support vessels operate out of Port Canaveral, and dock crews handle rocket hardware and cargo. Harbor and maritime workers hurt on the job may fall under different legal processes than those suffering workplace injuries using land-based workers’ compensation systems.
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act can cover dock, terminal, and harbor workers injured on navigable waters or adjoining areas. Maritime workers who qualify as seamen on crewed recovery or support vessels may instead have Jones Act claims.
A Port Canaveral maritime injury lawyer from our law firm can determine which statute protects your personal injury claim.
Seeking Compensation in Aerospace & Aviation Injury Claims
The path to recovering compensation depends on the legal process your case follows. Workers’ compensation claims, third-party lawsuits, and wrongful death cases calculate damages differently.
Claim Path | Medical Costs | Lost Wages / Earning Capacity | Non-Economic Damages | Notes |
Workers’ compensation (direct employer) | Full scope for authorized medical treatment | Partial income replacement | Not available | No-fault; typically the exclusive remedy against employers |
Third-party / product-liability claim | Past & future medical costs | Full lost wages including future earning capacity | Pain and suffering, & other non-economic damages | Requires proving another party’s fault or a defect |
Wrongful death (surviving family) | Final medical bills & funeral expenses | Lost support & services | Survivors’ mental pain and suffering | Brought by the estate’s personal representative & surviving family members |
Florida law allows non-economic damages in personal injury cases. Permanent disability or catastrophic injury victims need to be fairly compensated for a lifetime of medical care. Catastrophic injuries include spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, traumatic amputations, crush injuries, and other severe construction injuries.
So, pursuing a third-party claim against negligent property owners, equipment manufacturers, or subcontractors, for example, can provide compensation for the following and other damages, depending on the circumstances:
- Past medical care & future medical costs
- The full scope of lost wages & future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disfigurement & disability
- Emotional distress & PTSD
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- In fatal cases, the losses recoverable under the Florida Wrongful Death Act
If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, traumatic amputation, brain injury, or other serious injury, a personal injury attorney can review your aerospace or aviation accident case and help determine the best path to securing fair compensation.
Filing Deadlines for Florida Aerospace Injury Claims
Since 2023, Florida law allows a two-year deadline. Cases against the federal government have entirely different timelines. If you don’t take legal action within two years from the date of the accident occurring, the courts can dismiss an otherwise strong case under Florida’s statute-of-limitations statute. When cases involving state and federal law overlap, the earliest clock usually controls the strategy.
It’s crucial to review your aerospace or aviation accident case with a Brevard County attorney quickly.
Claim Type | Statute of Limitations | Notes |
General negligence/personal injury claim | 2 years from accrual, for cases on or after March 24, 2023 | Cut from a four-year to two-year deadline |
Wrongful death | 2 years from date of death | |
Product liability | 4 years, with a 12-year statute of repose in defined circumstances | Repose can bar older cases |
Claim against a Florida government entity | Pre-suit written notice required | Notice does not extend the limitations period |
Federal claims (FECA / DBA / FTCA) | Separate federal deadlines & notice rules apply | Confirm your specific deadline immediately |
What to Do After an Aerospace or Aviation Accident on the Space Coast
The steps taken after catastrophic accidents occur can help victims protect their right to seek accountability and fair compensation:
- Seek medical attention immediately. Insurance companies often attempt to deny cases in which victims avoid prompt medical treatment. Also, some of the most severe injuries aren’t immediately apparent.
- Ensure proper documentation of all injuries
- Report the incident to your employer & the site safety officer in writing
- Note the exact location, contractor/subcontractor, & equipment involved
- Identify witnesses
- Preserve your own account & speak to a Brevard County aerospace & aviation accident lawyer before giving a recorded statement to insurance adjusters
Evidence in aerospace and aviation cases disappears quickly, particularly on federal construction sites. It’s crucial to seek medical treatment first but try to gather as much evidence as possible:
- Incident & OSHA reports
- Equipment maintenance and inspection logs
- Investigation reports from the National Transportation Safety Board or Federal Aviation Administration
- Badge, access, & shift records
- Photos of the scene & the equipment
- All contractor & subcontractor names
Why Choose Platt Cole Russell & Simpson for a Space Coast Aviation or Aerospace Injury Claim
Platt Cole Russell & Simpson is a Brevard County firm with deep roots. Jack Platt is a fifth-generation Brevard County resident, and together our team brings a combined 120 years of experience.
Understanding the region’s environment and 18th Judicial Circuit trial experience is important for aerospace and aviation accident lawyers handling complex injury claims. Local knowledge also helps secure evidence early in cases.
Civil cases go to the Moore Justice Center in Viera and the Titusville courthouse serving the Kennedy Space Center and Cape communities, and the region’s most severe injury victims are treated at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.
Aerospace and aviation cases demand command of a specialized field. Most cases call for familiarity with federal agencies like the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the federal laws governing aviation safety in Title 49 and 14 CFR, and, for some incidents, international treaties like the Montreal Convention. Navigating these legal processes correctly can separate full compensation from denied cases.
Aerospace and aviation accident cases also require technical experts, including aerospace engineers and accident reconstructionists, and the courtroom experience to put that evidence before a jury. The stakes justify it: a catastrophic injury can exceed $2 million in lifetime costs, and insurers fight hard to minimize payouts.
If you need an advocate with the resources, knowledge, and courtroom experience to stand up to major contractors, manufacturers, and insurance companies, contact a Brevard County aerospace injury lawyer from our law firm.
Aviation, Defense & Aerospace Injury FAQ
Do I need a Brevard County aerospace injury lawyer if I already have workers' compensation?
Often, yes. Workers’ compensation pays medical expenses, lost wages (partial), and disability in some cases. It doesn’t cover non-economic damages like pain and suffering. If a negligent property owner, contractor, subcontractor, passenger vehicle driver, or equipment manufacturer caused or contributed to an aerospace or aviation accident, you can recover the full scope of damages through third-party lawsuits.
Who can be held liable for a launch-site or Cape Canaveral accident?
Fault depends on whose negligence contributed to the harm. It’s frequently several responsible parties:
- Employer
- On-site contractors and subcontractors
- Propellant, component, and equipment manufacturers (can be held strictly liable)
- Facility or property owners/operators
- Vehicle operators
- Federal agencies, like the Federal Aviation Administration
I am a federal contractor. Which system covers my injury?
Federal contractor claims usually fall under a combination of legal processes. Federal civilian employees typically fall under FECA, while contractor employees injured onsite in Florida typically use state workers’ compensation plus any third-party lawsuit. The Defense Base Act mainly applies to overseas contract work, not onsite work at Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center.
How long do I have to file an aerospace or aviation injury claim in Florida?
Victims must take legal action within the two-year deadline under Florida’s statute of limitations. In recent years (2023), the statute of limitations was four years from the date of the accident/death. Cases against air traffic control and other entities operated by the Federal Aviation Administration or other government entities can involve different deadlines.
What is my aerospace or aviation injury case worth?
Settlements and jury verdicts for aerospace and aviation accident cases vary widely. Recovery depends on the legal process, the medical bills and future medical expenses, lost wages and loss of future earning capacity, and other damages required. Workers’ compensation and third-party lawsuits calculate damages differently. Our Brevard County attorneys identify every source of compensation before estimating total recovery.
What should I do right after an accident at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station?
The steps you take in the aftermath of a serious accident can help protect your health and evidence:
- Seek medical attention; internal injuries may not be immediately apparent
- Report the incident to your employer in writing
- Document the location, equipment, contractors, and subcontractors involved
- Identify witnesses (our attorneys will secure witness statements)
- Speak with a personal injury lawyer before giving a recorded statement to the insurance company
Call 321-725-3425 to schedule a free consultation.
How much does a Space Coast aerospace injury lawyer cost?
Nothing up front. Like many reputable personal injury firms, we operate on a no-recovery, no-contingency-fee basis. This means you pay nothing unless we win, and we offer free consultations. This lets Brevard County residents take on large contractors and insurers without any financial risk.
Call 321-725-3425 to learn more.
Contact a Space Coast Aerospace and Defense Industry Accident Lawyer For a Free Consultation
If you were hurt, or lost a loved one, in an aerospace, launch-site, or aviation accident, a Brevard County aerospace injury lawyer at our law firm can fight on your behalf. Your consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover. Call 321-725-3425 or contact our office online. You can also visit our Melbourne personal injury office.