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It was a foggy Sunday morning in Southern California when NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crashed into a steep hill, killing all nine people on board. As Tuesday marks one year since the January 26 tragedy, friends and family of beloved Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in the helicopter say the sense of loss remains fresh.
The Sikorsky S-76 fell in Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant was heading from his Orange County home to his daughter’s tournament at his Mamba Sports academy in Thousand Oaks. He is survived by three other daughters and his wife, Vanessa.
The group aboard the helicopter, including one of his daughter’s trainers and two of her teammates, encountered heavy fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Ara Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew over Bryant, climbed abruptly into the helicopter and almost managed to break through the clouds when the craft took a sharp left turn and plunged into the grassy, grassy hills covered with oaks below.
When the helicopter struck the ground, it was flying at approximately 184 mph and descending at a speed of over 4000 feet per minute. The impact cratered and scattered debris over an area the size of a football field in the Calabasas Hills. Flames engulfed the wreckage, but burns to the bodies were determined after the death.
An autopsy later determined that the pilot had no alcohol or drugs in his system, and all nine were immediately fatal when the helicopter crashed into the side of the hill.
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One of Los Angeles’ most popular sports figures and a worldwide celebrity, Bryant, 41, was beyond recognition when his body was found outside of the helicopter wreck; his remains were to be identified by his fingerprints.
The others killed were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli; his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach her daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The aircraft did not have a device called a Terrain Detection and Warning System, which signals when an aircraft is at risk of hitting the ground. While the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the system be mandatory for helicopters, the Federal Aviation Administration requires it only for air ambulances. The two California senators have called on the FAA to make the devices compulsory in the wake of the tragedy.
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The NTSB did not find the cause of the crash on the outskirts of Los Angeles County, but said there was no sign of mechanical failure of the Sikorsky S-76. A public meeting is scheduled for the morning of February 9 “to determine the probable cause” of the crash, the NTSB announced earlier this month.
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Bryant and his daughter were honored last year at a star-studded public memorial on February 24, 2020 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, where Bryant spent most of his two-decade career with the Lakers. The date of the memorial – 2/24 – matched the No. 24 jersey he wore and the No. 2 worn by Gianna. More than 20,000 were present.
SKILLS
A year after the crash, Vanessa Bryant and the families of other victims whose lives were lost filed lawsuits in connection with the deaths.
Death at fault, negligence
On the same day as the February 2020 memorial service, Vanessa Bryant filed a lengthy lawsuit alleging that Zobayan was reckless and negligent to fly in the fog and should have stopped the flight.
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Zobayan’s brother Berge Zobayan said in a court filing that Bryant was aware of the risks of the helicopter flight and that his survivors were not entitled to damages from the pilot. The helicopter company, Island Express, said it was not responsible for the damage, calling the crash, among other things, a “force majeure” and “inevitable accident” that was beyond their control. .
Undated photo of helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan, who was in command of the helicopter that crashed in Southern California on Sunday January 26, 2020, killing all nine people on board, including the former Lakers star Kobe Bryant. (Group 3 Aviation via AP, file)
<< Any injury or damage to the complainants and / or their deceased was directly caused in whole or in part by the negligence or fault of the complainants and / or their deceased, including their conscious and voluntary encounter with the risks involved , and that this negligence was a substantial factor in the cause of their alleged damages, for which the responding defendant bears no responsibility, ”Zobayan wrote in his May 2020 court record.
About four months after the crash, family members of four killed passengers joined Bryant in filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the companies that owned and operated the plane.
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The lawsuits on behalf of the Altobellis and Mauser did not name Zobayan or his representative as a defendant, but were brought against Island Express Helicopters, Inc., which operated the Sikorsky, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp.
A view of the screen during a tribute to the victims of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant during the BET Super Bowl Gospel celebration at the James L. Knight Center on January 30, 2020 in Miami, Florida ( Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images for BET)
Privacy invasion for sharing criminal graphic photos
In September 2020, Vanessa Bryant sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, claiming lawmakers shared unauthorized photos of the crash.
The lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and willful infliction of emotional distress.
“This lawsuit is about the responsibility and prevention of this shameful behavior on other families who have suffered losses in the future,” Vanessa Bryant’s attorney Luis Li said in a statement at the time. . “The ministry formally denied Ms. Bryant’s requests for information saying he was ‘unable to assist’ with any investigation and had no legal obligation to do so. It is now in court in tell the ministry what its obligations are. “
Sheriff Alex Villanueva previously told news outlets that eight MPs took or shared graphic photos of the scene and ordered the footage removed. The sheriff said the department has a policy against taking and sharing photos of crime scenes, but that does not apply to accident scenes.
“It was my # 1 priority, it was to make sure these photos didn’t exist anymore,” Villanueva told NBC News. “We identified the deputies involved, they came to the post on their own and admitted that they had taken them away and deleted them. And we are happy that those involved did.
Vanessa Bryant’s trial alleges the sheriff’s actions were a “cover-up” of the misconduct. The costume claims the photos may still exist.
“Ms. Bryant feels bad at the thought of strangers watching the footage of her deceased husband and child and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day be faced with gruesome images of loved ones online.” , indicates the trial.
The Sheriff’s Department called the accident a “devastating day for millions of people around the world,” according to a USA Today report.
“Our hearts go out to the nine families of the victims and their loved ones as we approach the anniversary of this tragic day,” the department said.
Vanessa Bryant’s mother asks for compensation
In December 2020, Vanessa Bryant’s mother filed a lawsuit against her daughter, claiming she had years of salary for working as an unpaid assistant and the support promised by the basketball legend.
The 48-page lawsuit filed by Sofia Urbieta Laine, 68, claims Kobe Bryant “promised to look after” her for life.
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“Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant’s promise did not materialize as he is now deceased and Vanessa Bryant has done all she could to undo and reverse all of Kobe’s promises,” the lawsuit claims, claiming that Vanessa Bryant never intended to honor these wishes.
Vanessa Bryant released a statement Thursday saying her mother was trying to “extort a financial windfall,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
In this April 13, 2016 file photo, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for photos with his wife Vanessa, left, and daughters Natalia, second from right, and Gianna as they stand on the field after an NBA basketball game against Utah. Jazz, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)
The widow’s statement said she and her husband allowed her mother to live for free at one of their properties on the Newport Beach coast, but never promised her anything or discouraged her from providing to his needs.
“It was a grandmother who was supported by me and her son-in-law at my request,” said Vanessa Bryant. “Now she wants to bill me $ 96 an hour for allegedly working 12 hours a day for 18 years looking after her grandchildren. In fact, she only occasionally babysits my older daughters when they were toddlers.
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Vanessa Bryant said earlier this year she started looking for a new home for her mother and her mother gave a TV interview in which she claimed she was forced to leave her home and return a luxury car .
“Even after this betrayal, I was willing to provide my mom with monthly support for the rest of her life, and it wasn’t good enough,” said Vanessa Bryant. “She, instead, contacted me through intermediaries – contrary to what she claims, my phone number has not changed – and demanded $ 5 million, a house and a Mercedes SUV.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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