The family of the late Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the U.S. helicopter company involved in the February crash that claimed his life.
BrandIconImage had reported that Ogunbanjo was killed
alongside former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Dr Herbert Wigwe,
his wife Chizoba and his son during a charted helicopter crash in Southern
California near the Nevada border, United States of America.
All the passengers onboard the helicopter died including the
pilot.
In a suit filed on Wednesday, the Ogunbanjo family alleged
in the court filing that the charter company, Orbic Air LLC, improperly flew
the helicopter despite a “wintry mix” of snowy and rainy conditions in the
Mojave Desert where the crash occurred on February 9.
They stated that the flight should have been grounded
because of treacherous weather, AP reports.
Ogunbanjo, 61 was on his way to Las Vegas to attend the
Super Bowl.
Both pilots — Benjamin Pettingill, 25, and Blake Hansen, 22
— also died. They were licensed as commercial helicopter pilots as well as
flight instructors.
Andrew C. Robb, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit,
said Ogunbanjo’s family is seeking “answers and accountability.”
“Helicopters do not do very well in snow and ice,” Robb told
The Associated Press. “This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know
why they took off.”
Ogunbanjo’s wife and two children filed the suit in San
Bernardino County Superior Court on Wednesday against Orbic Air and its CEO,
Brady Bowers, alleging wrongful death and negligence.
The suit also names the unidentified successors of
Pettingill and Hansen, whom Ogunbanjo’s family also faults.
Orbic Air did not reply to an email and phone call seeking
comment.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still
investigating the cause of the crash.
In February, the agency released a preliminary investigation
report that outlined the helicopter’s flight path and provided details about
the wreckage that was strewn across 100 yards (91 meters) of desert scrub.
Investigators found the fuselage was fragmented, and the
cockpit and cabin were destroyed. Damage to the engine and the metal deposits
that were found would indicate that it was operational at the time of the
crash.
The report cited law enforcement, saying several witnesses
who were travelling in vehicles along Interstate 15 had called 911 to report
observing a “fireball” to the south. The witnesses reported that it was raining
with a mix of snow.
The helicopter left Palm Springs Airport around 8:45 p.m. on
February 9 and was travelling to Boulder City, Nevada, which is about 26 miles
(40 kilometres) southeast of Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and the
San Francisco 49ers were set to play that Sunday in Super Bowl 58.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and payment for Ogunbanjo’s
burial and funeral expenses, as well as other damages.
Robb’s firm, Robb and Robb LLC, represented Kobe Bryant’s
widow, Vanessa Bryant, in her lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the
helicopter that crashed in Calabasas in 2020, killing the NBA star, his
daughter, Gianna, and seven others. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for an
undisclosed amount.
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