Wigwe: New Twist as Ogunbanjo Family Sues Charter Company Over Helicopter Crash
A New Twist has been introduced to the fatal air crash which claimed the lives of former Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe and his associate, Abimbola Ogunbanjo.
In the latest development, the family of the late former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who was killed in the Southern California helicopter crash in February filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, against the US helicopter company.
The former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son were also onboard the ill-fated helicopter.
The Ogunbanjo family stated that the flight should have been grounded because of treacherous weather.
In February, Wigwe, his wife and his son died following a helicopter crash in California near the Nevada border, United States of America.
Relatives of Ogunbanjo in the court filing on Wednesday claimed that the charter company, Orbic Air, improperly flew the helicopter despite a βwintry mixβ of snowy and rainy conditions in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred on February 9, the Press Enterprise reports.
One of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, Andrew C. Robb, noted Ogunbanjo family is seeking βanswers and accountability.β
βHelicopters do not do very well in snow and ice,β Robb told the Associated Press.
βThis flight was entirely preventable, and we donβt know why they took off,β he added.
Ogunbanjoβs wife and two children have filed a lawsuit in San Bernardino County Superior Court against Orbic Air and its CEO, Brady Bowers, alleging wrongful death and negligence.
The suit also includes the unidentified successors of Pettingill and Hansen, whom Ogunbanjo family holds responsible.
Orbic Air did not provide any comment on the matter.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the crash.
A preliminary investigation report released by the agency in February revealed details about the helicopterβs flight path and wreckage.
Witnesses reported observing a βfireballβ during rainy and snowy conditions at the time of the crash.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial for Ogunbanjo burial expenses, funeral expenses, and other damages.
Robb & Robb, the law firm representing Ogunbanjo family, previously represented Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit following Kobe Bryantβs fatal helicopter crash in 2020.
