Family of LAPD Copter Crash Victim Files Claim
The family of a man who was killed on the ground in last month’s crash of a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter filed a $25-million wrongful death claim against the city.
“Helicopters don’t just fall out of the sky. Somebody made a mistake. We don’t know who it is,” said attorney Kirk Bernard, who represents the family of Lino Salguero. Two police officers and Salguero died in the June 13 crash.
The claim, filed Friday, follows reports that failure of a recalled engine part caused the fiery crash near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The engine part, which was the subject of a manufacturer’s safety recall, failed shortly before the crash that killed pilot Gary Howe and observer Charles (Randy) Champe, police said.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, seeks compensation for Salguero’s wife, Cesilia Rugamas, and his two children, Edwin, 11, and Iliana, 2. The city has 45 days to respond.
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