Wed, Nov 02, 2011
Family Of Man Killed Sues For $25 Million
The first of what will likely be dozens of lawsuits stemming
from the September 16th accident at the National Championship Air
Races in Reno has been filed by the family of a Texas man killed
when Jimmy Leeward's plane went down.
The suit was filed in Collin County, TX. Attorney Tony Buzbee
said that "the formula they created made an accident
inevitable."
The Associated Press reports that the suit names Texas-based
mechanic Richard Shanholtzer Jr., The Reno Air Racing Association,
members of Leeward's family, Leeward Racing Inc, and others
including an aircraft parts manufacturer in Washington state.
The suit was filed on behalf of Dr. Sezen Altug, the widow of
Craig Salerno, who had been a dispatcher for Continental Airlines
as well as a volunteer fireman. Salerno was also an avid racing
pilot. Buzbee said there were "two groups of wrongdoers" involved
in the accident: the risk takers who pushed the planes past their
limits and the promoters who profited from hosting the show.
He also questions the impartiality of the NTSB in investigating
the accident, because the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority has
lobbyists in Washington with NTSB connections.
Michael Houghton, the head of the Reno Air Racing Association,
said he fully expects that this is just the first of
several lawsuits that will be filed in connection with
the accident. He said he has not seen the suit. Members of
Leeward's family declined to comment.
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