The world mourned when it heard the news of a helicopter crash claiming the lives of basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. News reports at the time duly noted that seven others died in the January 26 crash north of Los Angeles. Still, it was wife Vanessa Bryant who swiftly brought a 27-count lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holdings Corp. as well as the deceased pilot’s estate.
Two more families step forward
Now the surviving members of the Mauser and Altobelli families who lost four loved ones have filed wrongful death lawsuits of their own against the company but not the pilot’s estate, citing:
- Island Express’s negligence as the reason for the deaths.
- Island Express’s breach in its duty to own, lease, manage, maintain control, charter, entrust, and operate the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
The families claim that the deaths “caused an insurmountable amount of anguish on every level — physical, emotional, mental and otherwise … for which the families want damages, both over their own turmoil, but also for what their loved ones could have earned themselves if they had survived the crash and continued to work.”
This story is not over
At this time, there is no word on whether the surviving family members of fellow crash victims Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter Payton will also file a lawsuit. Those with questions about the death of a family member caused by someone’s recklessness can speak about their tragic circumstances with a personal injury attorney with experience handling severe crashes and wrongful death suits. These legal professionals can help determine if other surviving families have legal grounds for a lawsuit over the loss of their loved ones.
