Barnett v. Turbomeca S.A.: Maker of Defective Helicopter Pays Damages to Family of Dead Pilot

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April 29, 1998

Barnett v. Turbomeca S.A.: Maker of Defective Helicopter Pays Damages to Family of Dead Pilot

Kansas City Star - April 29, 1998

Kansas City Star

4/29/1998

The manufacturer of a defective helicopter Tuesday paid more than $40 million and ended a lawsuit by the family of a Life Flight pilot killed in a 1993 crash.

The payout came after a Jackson County Circuit Court lawsuit resulted in a jury award of $350 million to the Atchison, Kan., family of James Barnett Jr. It was among the largest such verdicts in the nation.

Last fall, a state appeals court reduced the judgment to $30 million. The manufacturer, Turbomeca S.A. of France, paid that amount on Tuesday and $10.5 million in interest.

While flying an accident victim to St. Luke’s Hospital, Barnett’s Life Flight ambulance crashed in a DeKalb County cornfield near Cameron, Mo.

Both jurors and the appeals court called Turbomeca’s behavior reprehensible.

A company official testified that it would have cost $48 million to recall the helicopters.

The manufacturer of a defective helicopter Tuesday paid more than $40 million and ended a lawsuit by the family of a Life Flight pilot killed in a 1993 crash.

Last fall, a state appeals court reduced the judgment to $30 million. The manufacturer, Turbomeca S.A. of France, paid that amount on Tuesday and $10.5 million in interest.

While flying an accident victim to St. Luke’s Hospital, Barnett’s Life Flight ambulance crashed in a DeKalb County cornfield near Cameron, Mo.

Both jurors and the appeals court called Turbomeca’s behavior reprehensible.

A company official testified that it would have cost $48 million to recall the helicopters.

Douglas N. Ghertner, Turbomeca’s attorney, declined to comment Tuesday.

Another Jackson County jury awarded $70 million to the family of Sherry Ann Letz, the patient killed in the crash. An appeals court reduced that to $29 million last fall, and the case is now before the Missouri Supreme Court.

As part of Tuesday’s payment, Missouri received a check for $4.7 million of the punitive damages. A state law requires a percentage of such awards go to the state.

Family members receiving judgment money were the victim’s wife, Juya Barnett; their son Jessie, 19; their daughter Mia, 17; and James Barnett’s parents, James Barnett Sr. and Wanda Barnett.

Juya Barnett said she would use some of the award to create a James S. Barnett Jr. memorial trust fund for improving helicopter safety.

She said, “My children and I just want to go on with our lives. We miss Jim terribly.”

Categories:

Helicopter Accidents

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