The brother of Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed nine people on Jan. 26 — including Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna — is blaming the late Los Angeles Lakers star and the other passengers for the tragic incident.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Berge Zobayan argued in a court filing that Bryant knew the risks of flying on that foggy Sunday morning, and that the Bryant family isn't entitled to damages from the pilot's estate.
“Any injuries or damages to plaintiffs and/or their decedent were directly caused in full or in part by the negligence or fault of plaintiffs and/or their decedent, including their knowing and voluntary encounter with the risks involved, and that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing their purported damages, for which this answering defendant bears no responsibility,” the answer said.
Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, sued the estate of Ara Zobayan and the company that owned the helicopter, Island Express. Vanessa accused Zobayan of negligence and failing “to use ordinary care in piloting the subject aircraft.”
Ara, the longtime pilot for the Lakers icon, is also being accused of “failing to abort the flight, not monitoring and assessing the weather and failing to keep a safe distance between natural obstacles and the 1991 Sikorsky S-76B helicopter.”
Island Express is yet to file an answer to Vanessa's claims.
John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Payton and Sarah Chester, and Christina Mauser were also killed in the crash in the hills of Calabasas. The Altobelli and Mauser families have also filed lawsuits against Island Express.
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