Vanessa Bryant, the widow of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, has filed a lawsuit for wrongful death against helicopter company Island Express, which owned the S-76 Sikorsky helicopter in which Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died during a crash in the hills of Calabasas on Jan. 26.
Ara Zobayan, the pilot, who also died with the rest of the passengers, is also included in the lawsuit — sued for negligence, considering it was he who made the decision to fly under dangerous conditions.
According to TMZ Sports, the lawsuit alleges the helicopter was only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions during that Sunday morning, the day of the crash, were not apt for such flying.
The fog that day was extremely low and the pilot was in no condition to see clearly at the time. The lawsuit states Zobayan was going 180 miles per hour in the heavy fog in a steep decline moments before the crash.
Mrs. Bryant's suit claims Zobayan failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, obtain proper weather data prior to the flight, abort the flight once he was aware of the weather conditions, maintain control of the aircraft, and avoid “natural obstacles” in the flight path.
The suit also includes that Zobayan was disciplined in 2015 for violating the visual flight rule minimums by flying into airspace of reduced visibility.
Mrs. Bryant is seeking punitive damages, though she has not stated a dollar amount to her claim, though the amount is expected to be millions, as she is suing for “loss of love, affection, care, society, service, comfort, support, right to support, companionship, solace or moral support and expectations of future support and counseling,” along with compensation for the loss of financial support, burial, and funeral expenses.
The late Lakers legend and Gianna are being honored in a public memorial at Staples Center on Monday.
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