The family of the late former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, NGX, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who was killed in a
Recall that the former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Dr Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son were also onboard the ill-fated helicopter that claimed their lives.
According to the Ogunbanjo family, the flight should have been grounded because of treacherous weather.
Relatives of Ogunbanjo in the court filing on Wednesday, April 10, claimed that the charter company, Orbic Air, improperly flew the helicopter despite what they called a wintry mix of snowy and rainy conditions in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred on February 9.
One of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, Andrew C. Robb, noted Ogunbanjo’s family is seeking answers and accountability.
“Helicopters do not do very well in snow and ice,” Robb said.
“This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know why they took off,” he added.
Ogunbanjo’s 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’s family holds responsible. Orbic Air did not provide any comment on the matter.
The National Transportation Safety Board of the United States is currently investigating the crash as a preliminary investigation report released by the agency in February revealed details about the helicopter’s flight path and wreckage.
Witnesses were said to have observed what they described as a fireball during rainy and snowy conditions at the time of the crash.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial for Ogunbanjo’s burial expenses, funeral expenses, and other damages.
Robb & Robb, the law firm representing Ogunbanjo’s family, previously represented Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit following Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash in 2020.
