An Elko, NV-based helicopter operator took flight with two Nevada Department of Wildlife biologists on board. The flight operator was to transport the biologists through the hot August skies for bird surveying. It had begun like any other sunny summer day in northern Nevada. The sun was scorching above a clear blue sky. However, instead of adhering to the pre-defined flight path for surveyance, the pilot bypassed waypoints to follow a deer on its sporadic path. Failing to follow the correct course, the pilot flew the helicopter into a steep box canyon — too low and too slow, with no escape route. Without warning, the helicopter careened toward the ground. In a fiery ball of metal, the aircraft crashed with the biologists inside. Gaining his bearings, one of the biologists noticed his obviously injured colleague in the back seat and helped him out of the upside-down, crumpled helicopter. Smoke appeared. The biologists scrambled around 100 feet up a nearby hill. Suddenly, the helicopter exploded in flames.
The fire from the crash burned 350,000 acres of Nevada wilderness. The crash was attributed to the pilot's negligent decisions to fully prepare and fuel the helicopter mid-flight. While both biologists and the pilot survived, the biologists were severely injured and emotionally terrified by the crash. They had seen their lives flash before their eyes — trauma that would cause lifelong physical and mental pain and suffering.
In the middle of their devastation, the biologists sought out Bill Bradley, a Reno, NV personal injury law attorney with Bradley, Drendel, and Jeanney. With over 40 years of personal injury experience, Bill was no stranger to challenging cases like this. As he established the case’s facts, he identified that the biologists' spouses should also be named as Plaintiffs as they suffered losses in the form of emotional trauma, loss of financial support, and loss of consortium. He championed the Plaintiffs’ point of view that something went wrong, and that it could have been avoided.
Opposing counsel insisted that the pilot fulfilled his duty of care during pre-flight preparations, the flight, and refueling. According to the Defense, the pilot followed the predetermined flight path but encountered an unexpected downdraft that supposedly caused the crash. Moreover, they asserted that the Defendant requested only a partial refuel during the mid-flight refueling. They maintained that the pilot didn’t act negligently in any way. Indeed, the helicopter and its GPS had been destroyed in the fire and there was no other tracking of the helicopter’s path, so direct evidence seemed scant. With the burden of proof on the Plaintiff, how would Bill refute the Defense’s claims?
Bill first turned his attention to the downdraft. Weather experts were retained who obtained evidence from weather stations spaced throughout the northern Nevada desert to understand conditions and obstacles in his clients’ flight path. The data showed no evidence of the downdraft. Next, Bill found documentation that proved the pilot had fully refueled and topped off the helicopter’s tank. The additional fuel increased the chopper’s weight and diminished its maneuverability. Finally, Bill used cell phone GPS data from a device in one of the biologists’ pockets to document the helicopter’s path. It had indeed veered off course multiple times. Consequently, Bill proved that the pilot lied when insisting he adhered to the flight path, experienced a downdraft, and only partially refueled the aircraft. In fact, the Defendant's negligence was the direct causal relationship with the helicopter crash.
Bill had a mountain of evidence that impeached the pilot’s credibility. He could directly connect the flier’s negligent behavior and the crash that he caused. However, the Defense was unmoved. Bill needed to persuade the other side that they either needed to provide just compensation to the biologists and their families or get ready for a jury to do it for them. He brought his evidence to DK Global. Using Bill’s evidence, digitally reanimated the events that led to the crash.
The reconstruction animation presented a top-down view of the helicopter’s intended flight path on a map of the northern Nevada desert, along with waypoints and even a timelapse. The presentation then showed the actual flight path, revealing how it deviated from the established course and designated waypoints, veering off so the pilot could trail a deer. Then, a bird's eye view of the helicopter showed its drop in elevation as it crashed into flames. The animation included a recreation of smoke and flames around the crashed helicopter as the Plaintiffs scrambled to a nearby rocky hill.
Bill presented the animation along with his other evidence upon request during mediation. Their arguments in tatters, the Defense took a more conciliatory tone. The case culminated in a favorable confidential settlement. With the ordeal behind them, the two wildlife biologists and their spouses could move forward with their lives with the finances to adapt to the damages they would endure for the rest of their lives.
Bill Bradley, lead counsel with Bradley, Drendel, and Jeanney, is revered as one of Nevada’s top personal injury attorneys. The firm has served the public as a Plaintiff-only law firm since the 1950s. A graduate of Stanford University, Bill has more than 40 years of experience in personal injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury litigation. He is a member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, an exclusive group of the top 100 personal injury attorneys in the United States. Bill has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for his success in personal injury law.
