The family of the late ex-chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) Abimbola Ogunbanjo has sued Orbic Air, a helicopter company based in the United States.
Mr Ogunbanjo was killed in a Southern California helicopter crash on February 9.
Others who died in the crash were the former CEO of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son, and crew members.
According to Press Enterprise, relatives of Ogunbanjo in the court filing on Wednesday claimed that Orbic Air improperly flew the helicopter despite a “wintry mix” of snowy and rainy conditions in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred.
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 told The Associated Press.
“This flight was entirely preventable, and we don’t know why they took off,” he added.
Dangote, Aig-Imoukhuede, others bid Abimbola Ogunbanjo farewell
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.
A preliminary investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board in February said witnesses reported observing 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.
