HELICOPTER MAKER SETTLES 8-YEAR-OLD SUIT BY WIDOWS MECHANICAL FAILURE BLAMED FOR FIREFIGHTERS' CRASH, DEATHS.Byline: JASON Jason, in Greek mythology Jason, in Greek mythology, son of Aeson. When Pelias usurped the throne of Iolcus and killed (or imprisoned) Aeson and most of his descendants, Jason was smuggled off to the centaur Chiron, who reared him secretly on Mt. Pelion. KANDEL Staff Writer A wrongful death The taking of the life of an individual resulting from the willful or negligent act of another person or persons. If a person is killed because of the wrongful conduct of a person or persons, the decedent's heirs and other beneficiaries may file a wrongful death action case filed by the widows of three Los Angeles firefighters who died in a 1998 helicopter crash that also killed a Sun Valley girl was settled Tuesday after eight years in litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. . Details of the agreement between the widows and Bell Helicopter were not released and will remain confidential. ``We have agreed with the defense that there would be no comment on the resolution,'' said Ron Goldman, an attorney representing the three widows. Stephen Brunk, an attorney for Bell, did not return a call seeking comment. The lawsuit was filed in 1999 by Maria Butler, Lisa Reiner and Lorene McComb, the widows of Michael Butler, 33, of Santa Clarita; Eric Reiner, 33, of Carson; and Michael McComb, 48, of Crestline, respectively. The firefighters died March 23, 1998, in Griffith Park when the 20-year-old Bell helicopter they were in lost its tail rotor and crashed. Also killed was Norma Vides, 11, of Sun Valley, a car crash victim who was being airlifted to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Steven Robinson, 32, of Agoura, the pilot, and firefighter Dennis J. Silgen, 52, of Thousand Oaks, suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized after the crash. After the tail rotor fell off, Robinson managed to keep the helicopter airborne for about a half-mile. He steered the craft -- shearing trees -- clear of homes on Fern Dell Drive before crashing. The lawsuit alleged that the tail rotor yoke and assembly were defective and that the defects caused parts to fatigue. The rotor helps control a helicopter's lateral motion. The case was tied up in litigation for years, partly because of an initial judge's ruling that upheld a federal law that prohibits such suits against manufacturers of helicopters over 18 years old, Goldman said. In 2003, that decision was reversed by a state appellate court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court. An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed. that said the rule does not apply to this case because Bell had failed to disclose to the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control five prior military helicopter crashes that had the same design yoke and fatigue fracture fatigue fracture n. A fracture, usually transverse in orientation, that occurs as a result of repeated or unusual endogenous stress. fatigue fracture . That decision sent the case back for a retrial retrial n. a new trial granted upon the motion of the losing party, based on obvious error, bias or newly-discovered evidence. (See: newly-discovered evidence) , which occurred over the last 11 days. jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3306 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion