LIBERTY, Mo.—The husband of a woman who was killed in an air ambulance crash has filed a lawsuit against the helicopter operator, saying the company took an unnecessary risk by flying with low fuel.
Victor Tacoronte’s wife, Terry, and three other people were killed Aug. 26 when a LifeNet helicopter crashed near Mosby, about 20 miles northeast of Kansas City.
The lawsuit filed Thursday contends that Air Methods Corp., of Englewood, Colo., didn’t put enough fuel in the Eurocopter AS350 to transport Tacoronte from a hospital in Bethany, near the Iowa border, to Liberty, The Kansas City Star reported ( ).
“This was more than negligence,” said Kansas City attorney Gary C. Robb. “It was an inexcusable accident based on a flawed operating policy.”
Pilot James Freudenbert, 34, of Rapid City, S.D., 47-year-old flight nurse Randy Bever from Savannah, Mo., and Chris Frakes, 36, a flight paramedic from Savannah, also died in the crash.
Federal aviation officials said the pilot signaled that he needed to stop for fuel at the Midwest National Air Center, but said the reason for the crash won’t be known until the investigation is complete. A preliminary report on the crash is due sometime next week, but officials said it could take up to a year to complete the full investigation.
Medical helicopters rarely run on a full fuel tank because of weight issues associated with the aircraft and on-board equipment. Robb said all indications are that the helicopter ran out of fuel. He said the pilot wasn’t to blame because he was following corporate policy.
LifeNet Air Medical Services, a subsidiary of Air Methods, and Heartland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph, where the flight originated, are also defendants in the suit. Air Methods bills itself as the largest air ambulance operator in the world.
Phone messages left Friday morning with Air Methods and Heartland Regional Medical Center seeking comment weren’t immediately returned. The Star reported officials at both declined to comment Thursday.
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Information from: The Kansas City Star,
