Airplane Accident: IRS Employee's Widow Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit after Pilot Crashes Plane Into Office Building
The widow of Vernon Hunter is has filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the tragic plane crash that claimed his life. Hunter, 68, was in the seven-story building that Andrew Joseph Stack III flew into on February 18.
Nearly 200 Internal Revenue employees worked in the building, and Hunter was one of them. Police say that Stack set his house on fire before embarking on the tragic plane trip. On his Web site, he left a 3,000-word message attacking the federal government, including the IRS.
Autopsy results indicate that Hunter died from conflagration injuries. His death was ruled a homicide. The building that Stack's plane struck sustained serious damage.
The plaintiff, Valerie Hunter, originally had named Stack's widow, Sheryl Mann Stack, as a defendant in the airplane accident lawsuit. However, KVUE.com is reporting that Sheryl's name has been removed from the complaint. The lawsuit originally argued that Stack's widow should have warned that her husband might be a danger to others.
The wrongful death complaint contends that Hunter's family should be compensated for damages because Stack was negligent when he endangered the victim's life. The pilot was legally required to fly his aircraft at 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle, which he failed to do.
Orange County, California Aviation Accidents
While commercial flights undoubtedly result in more fatalities, the National Transportation Safety Board reports that passengers riding in private planes have a 50 times greater fatality risk. A significant number of these private plane crashes occur in the state of California.
There are specific state and federal laws that govern aviation accidents, and there may be multiple parties, parties from out of state, including individuals and entities that should be held liable. Pilot error, aircraft malfunction, FAA regulation violations, air traffic controller mistakes, and maintenance mistakes are just some of the common causes of aviation accidents.
Attorney: Stack widow being removed from lawsuit, KVUE, February 25, 2010
Widow of Austin Plane Crash Victim Sues Pilot's Widow, WIBW/CNN, February 28, 2010
Related Web Resources:
National Transportation Safety Board
