Kobe Bryant: Relative of helicopter pilot blames victims’ ‘negligence’ for crash

Vanessa Bryant has filed a wrongful death lawsuit

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant on 27 July 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A relative of the pilot who flew a helicopter during the crash that killed Kobe Bryant has claimed that the fatal incident was the result of the victims’ “negligence”.

The relative reportedly made the claim in response to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant in February.

According to The New York Daily News, the relative alleges that pilot Ara Zobayan doesn’t bear any responsibility in the crash.

Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi Bryant, six other passengers, and the pilot all died as a result of the crash on 26 January.

“Any injuries or damages to plaintiffs and/or their decedent were directly caused in full or in part by the negligence or fault of plaintiffs and/or their decedent, including their knowing and voluntary encounter with the risks involved,” the filing states according to the Daily News.

The paperwork adds: “This negligence was a substantial factor in causing their purported damages, for which this answering defendant bears no responsibility.”

Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Island Express Helicopters, which operated the flying service, as well as Zobayan’s representative or successor, as defendants.

The suit alleges that Zobayan displayed negligence in eight different respects, including by “[failing] to obtain proper weather data” before the flight, and “[failing] to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy conditions”.

Island Express has previously called the crash a “tragic accident” and declined to comment on pending litigation in a statement to the media.