The family of the late former Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, who tragically died in a Southern California helicopter crash in February, initiated legal action against the US helicopter company involved on Wednesday.
Accompanying Ogunbanjo on the ill-fated flight were Dr. Herbert Wigwe, former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, along with his wife and son. The Ogunbanjo family claimed that the flight should have been grounded due to hazardous weather conditions.
In their court filing, relatives of Ogunbanjo alleged that the charter company, Orbic Air, improperly flew the helicopter despite adverse wintry weather conditions in the Mojave Desert where the crash occurred on Feb. 9.
Attorney Andrew C. Robb, representing Ogunbanjo’s family, emphasized their quest for “answers and accountability,” stressing that the flight was entirely preventable.
Ogunbanjo’s wife and two children filed a lawsuit in San Bernardino County Superior Court against Orbic Air and its CEO, alleging wrongful death and negligence. The lawsuit also includes the unidentified successors of individuals allegedly responsible for the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board is actively investigating the crash, which witnesses described as occurring during rainy and snowy conditions. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial for burial and funeral expenses, among other damages, echoing the family’s pursuit of justice.
Robb & Robb, the law firm representing Ogunbanjo’s family, has a history of handling high-profile aviation-related cases, having previously represented Vanessa Bryant in her lawsuit following Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash in 2020.
