A man who crashed in a snowmobile into a military helicopter requires $ 9.5 million from the government
The accident that happened in March 2019 was almost worth the man's life, and now a lawyer from Massachusets filed a federal lawsuit. It requires a $ 9. 5 million losses from the government. The money, which, he said, is necessary to cover his medical expenses and lost salary, as well as to make the military responsibility for violations. "The last five years have been operations and recovery, all this in a circle.
Honestly, now it seems to me that I am in a worst position than in 2019, when I was first surgery," said the American who suffers after the accident from breathing problems and cannot work full time. The US District Court Judge in Springfield is expected to make a decision on a claim at the end of this year. Smith's lawyers claim that the BLACK HAWK Helicopter crew, which flew from New York Fort Drama for night training, showed negligence by parked a masked 64-foot (19.
5 m) aircraft on a rarely used Aer-Farm , which is also used by snowmobiles. Smith also sued his owner, accusing him that he at the same time gave the snowmobile permission to use the trail and crew of the helicopter to land in the same area. He later concluded a settlement agreement with him and received compensation. Its amount is not disclosed.
Smith claims that the Black Hawk crew did not make it enough to protect it, in particular, he did not warn people about the presence of a helicopter on the trail, left a aircraft weighing 14,500 pounds (6577 kilograms) unattended for a short time and did not turn on the lighting. The man noted that he went on snowmobiles with this path more than 100 times and stated that the last aircraft used it several decades ago when he was a child.
"From the very beginning, we argued that it was incompatible to plant a helicopter on an active track. The internal investigation of the army showed that the crew knew that she was landing right or immediately on an active trail. What could happen there?" Said Smith Duglas Dezardins lawyer, adding that the claim had been filed after the government did not respond to their demand for damages.
The publication notes that the Government has tried several times to terminate the case, claiming that it could not be sued in accordance with the Federal Law on Civil Offenses, since it is a political decision. The US Prosecutor's Office did not comment. During the investigation, representatives of the army concluded that the crew did not know that he was landing on a snow -moving trail. According to Smith, he had his mother on the night of the accident and helped repair the computer.
The man drank beer for dinner, then another with his father, and then went to a meeting with his brother. Smith was riding in the dark by farm fields and forests, and then passed through the spine. According to him, the headlights were reflected in "something", but he realized that it was a helicopter, only after the accident. Smith was sent air to a trauma center with a dozen broken ribs, a punched lung and severe internal bleeding. The 48-year-old man returned home after a month in hospital.