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'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - The family of Abimbola Ogunbanjo, a former chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, who died in a Southern California helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, the former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, has filed a lawsuit against the helicopter company (Orbic Air), claiming the flight should have been grounded because of treacherous weather.
Ogunbanjo, Wigwe alongside his wife and son and two pilots died on February 9, 2024, when the helicopter with registration N130CZ crashed in California, United States.
However, Ogunbanjo’s family, in a court filing on Wednesday, alleged that the charter company, Orbic Air LLC, improperly flew the helicopter despite a “wintry mix” of snowy and rainy conditions in the Mojave Desert, where the crash occurred on February 9.
Ogunbanjo’s wife and two children filed the suit in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Wednesday, against Orbic Air and its CEO, Brady Bowers, alleging wrongful death and negligence.
The suit also names the unidentified successors of Pettingill and Hansen, whom Ogunbanjo’s family also faults.
Andrew C. Robb, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, said Ogunbanjo’s family is seeking “answers and accountability.”
“Helicopters do not do very well in snow and ice. This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know why they took off,” Robb told newsmen on Wednesday.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and payment for Ogunbanjo’s burial and funeral expenses, as well as other damages.
