New York, NY — The family of a 26-year-old man who tragically lost his life in a New York City helicopter crash has settled a lawsuit for $90 million, finalizing a reduced jury award in an effort to avoid further appeals and conclude the litigation.
Court documents indicate that the settlement was ratified by a Manhattan judge on Wednesday, marking a close to the seven-year-long wrongful death claim of Trevor Cadigan. This resolution comes after a Manhattan jury initially assigned $116 million to Cadigan’s family last autumn, a figure later contested by the defendants.
In a decisive move to terminate ongoing legal disputes, the Cadigan family, led by attorney Gary C. Robb, accepted the settlement offer. “Their primary objective was twofold: to secure accountability for Trevor’s untimely demise, and to spotlight and rectify unsafe practices within the helicopter tourism sector,” Robb explained in a telephone interview.
The accident dates back to when a helicopter, operated without doors, plunged into the East River. The crash resulted from a passenger’s safety tether catching on a fuel shut-off switch, leading to engine failure as determined by a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The pilot managed to extricate himself; however, the five passengers, including Cadigan, were unable to escape from their safety harnesses.
The tragic event also claimed the lives of Cadigan’s friend, Brian McDaniel, Carla Vallejos Blanco, Tristan Hill, and Daniel Thompson. Cadigan, a journalist and Dallas native, had recently relocated to New York.
In the wake of the accident, FlyNYON, the company responsible for arranging the flight, stated through its CEO, Patrick Day, that substantial safety reforms have been implemented. These measures include revamped safety harnesses, a new quick-release system, a switch to an alternative helicopter model, enhanced pilot training, and the appointment of a safety officer. Day expressed his firm’s committed evolution towards safety and leadership in the industry.
Efforts to get comments from Liberty Helicopters, the operator and owner of the helicopter, and one of the defendants, were not immediately successful. Dart Aerospace, which manufactured the flotation devices for the flight and also faced the lawsuit, declined to comment on the matter.
Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration had temporarily banned doors-off flights that utilized tight seat restraints. These flights have since resumed, albeit with regulations mandating restraints that can be unlocked with a single action.
The resolution of this case underscores the ongoing concerns and subsequent reforms within the helicopter sightseeing industry, aiming to prevent future tragedies and enhance passenger safety through stringent operational standards and oversight.
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