Kobe Bryant death: Families sue helicopter company over crash

The suits are the latest legal action taken against the helicopter company

New lawsuits have been filed against the helicopter company that owned and operated the aircraft that crashed in January, killing Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and eight others.

Family members from four of the eight passengers have sued the company, Island Express Helicopters.

The Associated Press reported that two of the children of Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife Keri - a couple that were killed in the crash - filed one of the lawsuits.

The Altobelli children said they have suffered economic and noneconomic damages due to the company's "carelessness."

Another was filed by the family of Christina Mauser, who helped coach Gianna Byrant.

The lawsuits, which were filed on Sunday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, were lodged about two months after Mr Bryant's widow, Vanessa, sued the company and its holding company.

Ara Zobayan, the pilot of the helicopter who died in the crash, is not named in the new suits. He was named in the suit filed by Ms Bryant. Both of the lawsuits claim the companies were negligent and careless.

Neither of the lawsuits cite a specific negligent or careless action. Ms Bryant's lawsuit pointed blame at Mr Zobayan for flying into fog rather than cancelling the flight.

The crash occurred on 26 January while the group was on their way to a basketball tournament. The flight left Orange County's John Wayne Airport and was scheduled to travel to Thousand Oaks, California.

Mr Zobayan was flying through thick fog, and reports from the National Transportation Safety Board suggest the helicopter took a fast turn and had a severe drop in altitude before smashing into the side of a hill in Calabasas, California.

The NTSB report suggested there was no engine failure, but noted the helicopter did not have a piece of technology on board that would have alerted it to potential impacts with terrain