Accidents
$40 Million Settlement in Seattle Newscopter Crash
Fatal Accident Injured Motorists

The drivers of two vehicles who were injured when a Seattle newscopter crashed into a street in 2014 reached a $40 million settlement during the course of a five-week trial earlier this month. Guillermo Sanchez and Richard Newman were stopped in their vehicles at a red light on Broad Street near the Space Needle when a 2003 Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 owned by Helicopters, Inc. of Cahokia, Illinois, and being operated for KOMO-TV, crashed onto their vehicles after attempting to lift off from a nearby elevated helipad. The two men suffered blast, traumatic brain, burn, and PTSD injuries and are continuing medical treatment. The settlement was reached with the television station’s parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting, the operator, and the estate of the helicopter pilot.