Man who crashed snowmobile into parked Black Hawk to be awarded $3.3 million
The United States government has been ordered by a district judge to pay $3.3 million in damages to a man who crashed his snowmobile into a parked Black Hawk helicopter owned by the US military.
The accident occurred in the evening of March 2019. Jeff Smith, aged 48, a Massachusetts lawyer, was driving his snowmobile in an area normally used by skiers and snowmobilers. And although rarely used, the area also happens to be an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved airstrip.
Smith rammed into the camouflaged helicopter, which had just flown from New York’s Fort Drum to Worthington, Massachusetts,
Smith was immediately airlifted to a trauma center with a dozen broken ribs, a punctured lung and severe internal bleeding. Since the accident, he has been surviving on disability assistance and struggles with simple tasks.
Smith initially sued the government for $9.5 million. In his ruling, US District Judge Mark Mastroianni blamed both parties for the 2019 crash, but said that the government was 60% responsible for parking the helicopter on a snowmobile trail with no hazard warnings.
The judge also criticized Smith for not operating the snowmobile safely, for speeding and for wearing tinted goggles at night.
Smith’s lawyer Doug Desjardins said that he and his client are “grateful” for the judge’s “thoughtful consideration” of the case.
The government has 60 days to pay Smith the $3.3 million.
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The United States government has been ordered by a district judge to pay $3.3 million in damages to…
The post Man who crashed snowmobile into parked Black Hawk to be awarded $3.3 million appeared first on AeroTime.
