People across the country were stunned by the California helicopter crash that took the life of basketball legend Kobe Bryant and eight other people. Now, the families of four of the victims have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the helicopter flight. This follows a lawsuit that was filed by Bryants widow, Vanessa.
The chopper was attempting to make its way through dense fog at the time of the crash. Other flights were grounded at the time when the pilot was trying to get Bryant to his destination. The pilot is accused of carelessly flying in a manner that led the helicopter to crash into the side of a mountain, killing all of the passengers aboard the flight. The National Transportation Safety Board found that there was no engine failure on the helicopter.
The lawsuit is solely against the company that owned the helicopter. It does not name the pilots estate as the defendant. However, Vanessa Bryants lawsuit also names the pilot as a defendant, claiming that he should have aborted the flight due to the weather conditions.
Island Express stopped operations in the days following the crash. Subsequent reporting has found that the company did not have the proper certification for all of its pilots to fly in the conditions that were present at the time of the crash.
When a loved one dies under circumstances like these, the families may file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person or company whose action or inaction led to their death. These lawsuits might lead to substantial financial compensation if they are successful. A wrongful death attorney may help families file the legal action to recover this compensation. The attorney might be able to prove that someone else was responsible for the death of the loved one.
