Vanessa Bryant’s attorney’s have reportedly filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters, the company that operated the helicopter which carried Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant and seven other victims of the fatal crash on Jan.26 this year.
The suit alleges that the late pilot Ara Zobayan was “negligent” and “careless”, which in turn resulted in the death of all nine onboard including the pilot himself.
“Defendant Island Express Helicopters’ breach of its duty and negligence caused the injuries and damages complained of herein and Plaintiffs’ deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects,” reads the 27-count lawsuit as reported by a news portal.
Bryant and his daughter were en route Gigi’s basketball game at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, but minutes before reaching, the helicopter fatally crashed at Calabasas hillside, due to less visibility in the foggy weather conditions. An audio recording retrieved by the air traffic control reveals the controller told the pilot that they were “still too low level” to be tracked on the radar, after which he should have taken necessary measures.
A memorial for NBA legend Kobe, 13-year-old daughter Gigi and the seven other victims was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with a special tribute performance by Beyoncé singing Bryant’s favourite tracks XO and Halo.
Check out the alleged audio recording from the helicopter by VASAviation below: