Herbert Wigwe: Ogunbanjo’s Family Sues US Firm For Helicopter Crash
Mary Akanbi
12th April 2024
Family of a prominent Nigerian businessman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who lost his life in a helicopter crash in Southern California alongside five others on February 9, has sued charter company, Orbic Air LLC, over negligence and wrongful death.
In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday in a San Bernardino County Superior Court against Orbic Air and its CEO, Brady Bowers, the Ogunbanjo family is claiming that the airline negligently flew the helicopter despite adverse weather conditions, including a “wintry mix” of snow and rain in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred.
The lawsuit contends that the flight should have been grounded due to the hazardous weather conditions.
Ogunbanjo, a former chair of the Nigerian stock exchange; chief executive of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe; Wigwe’s wife, and their 29-year-old son; pilots, Benjamin Pettingill and Blake Hansen lost their lives in the crash.
According to report, Ogunbanjo’s wife and two children filed the suit in San Bernardino County Superior Court on Wednesday against Orbic Air and its Chief Executive Officer, Brady Bowers, alleging wrongful death and negligence.
It was revealed that the lawsuit was filed by Robb and Robb LLC, who represented Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, in her lawsuit against the pilot and owners of the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas in 2020, killing the NBA star, his daughter, Gianna, and others.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and payment for Ogunbanjo’s burial and funeral expenses, as well as other damages.
One of the lawyers, who filed the lawsuit, Andrew C. Robb, told AP that the Ogunbanjo’s family was 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.”
Ogunbanjo was killed in a helicopter crash on February 9 in the US alongside the CEO of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, Wigwe’s wife, Chizoba and their son, Chizzy, while on their way to Las Vegas to attend the Super Bowl.
The two pilots of the helicopter, Benjamin Pettingill, and Blake Hansen, also died in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board in the US is still investigating the cause of the crash although a preliminary investigation report was released in February.
The report outlined the helicopter’s flight path and provided details about the wreckage.
Investigators said the fuselage was fragmented, and the cockpit and cabin were destroyed.
It added that damage to the engine and the metal deposits that were found would indicate that it was operational at the time it crashed.
Both Ogunbanjo and the Wigwes have since been buried in Lagos and Rivers States.