First lawsuit filed in fiery Grand Canyon helicopter crash

Tuesday, 05 Mar, 2018 0

The family of a UK national killed in the fiery Grand Canyon helicopter cash have filed a lawsuit against the operator.

The parents of Jonathan Udall are claiming against Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters for negligently failing to install a crash-resistant fuel tank on the helicopter.

The suit claims the newlywed 31-year old would not have sustained ‘catastrophic’ burns if the fuel tank had been fitted.

Udall died from his injuries a few days before his new wife, Ellie Milward, who was the fifth to perish.

The couple were on their honeymoon.

"Mr and Mrs Udall deeply grieve for the loss of their son but their primary motivation now is to prevent anyone else from having to suffer the deadly burn injuries as their son did," said lawyer Gary Robb.

"If this helicopter had been properly equipped with a crash-resistant fuel system, it would have allowed this young man to walk away injury-free."

The pilot, Scott Booth was named as a defendant along with several Papillon executives.

They failed to ensure the helicopter was in a ‘safe and defect-free’ condition, the complaint states.

Only Booth, and another passenger, Jennifer Barham, 39, survived the crash.

The Udalls are seeking in excess of $195,000.

In the aftermath of the crash, Papillon announced it would fit the crash-resistant tanks to its chopper fleet.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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