Kobe Bryant’s wife files wrongful death lawsuit claiming helicopter pilot was reckless, report says
The lawsuit accuses the pilot of driving a 180 miles per hour in low visibility
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Your support makes all the difference.Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter.
The lawsuit claims the helicopter should've never flown on 7 February and also claims the pilot was reckless, according to TMZ.
This wrongful death suit comes almost one month after the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of the NBA basketball player, his daughter Gigi Bryant, and seven other victims. The group was on the way to a basketball tournament in the early morning when it crashed into the side of a mountain.
Island Express, which owns the helicopter, is only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, according to the lawsuit, and the conditions that day were not "conducive for such flying". Reports indicated there was low visibility and fog in the Calabasas, California, area when the helicopter crashed.
The pilot, Ara George Zobayan, driving the helicopter that morning was also called "reckless" in the lawsuit, with claims he was driving 180 miles per hour at a steep decline in the low visibility.
It claims Mr Zobayan failed to "properly monitor and assess the weather" prior to takeoff, as well as keep a monitor of the weather conditions throughout the duration of the flight.
The pilot is accused of knowing the conditions were poor and failing to then maintain control of the aircraft and failing to avoid "natural obstacles" in the flight path. It is also mentioned in the document that Mr Zobayan previously violated visible flight rules in 2015 by flying in reduced visibility.
The helicopter transporting the nine people was also callsed "unsafe" in the lawsuit, though it was not detailed the exact problems with the aircraft.
Mrs Bryant is asking for damages for "pre-impact" terror caused by the pilot as he tried to maintain control of the helicopter before the crash.
There was no number listed on the lawsuit about an amount in damages Mrs Bryant is seeking against the company for the "reckless" behaviour of both Island Express and the pilot, just that she wants punitive damages.
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