NEW YORK — The family of a North Texas man who died in a helicopter crash in 2018 has been awarded $116 million in a civil suit, a record verdict for the state of New York.
Trevor Cadigan, 26, drowned after a tour helicopter he was on crashed and overturned into the East River, along with another North Texan and three others, according to the medical examiner. Cadigan was unable to escape the helicopter due to the harness system used on the flights by FlyNYON and Liberty Helicopters, and the emergency flotation system of DART Aerospace malfunctioned after landing in the water, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
“These doors-off helicopter tour operators put Trevor in a death trap, and they knew it. They were fully aware for months that the passengers would have no chance of escape from their make-shift harness and tether system in the event of an emergency water landing. After three months of trial, this Manhattan jury held these companies accountable for their immoral and reckless actions,” said Gary C. Robb, in a statement whose Kansas City, Missouri law firm represented the Cadigan family.
The $116 million reward is made up of compensatory and punitive damages against FlyNYON, Liberty Helicopters and DART Aerospace. According to representatives for VerdictSearch, a legal research service, this verdict is the highest jury verdict for a single wrongful death in New York's history.
“It is the Cadigan family’s deepest wish that as a result of this trial and jury verdict, safety practices will be improved so that no one else has to suffer and die needlessly at the hands of these reprehensibly reckless aviation companies," Robb said.
One other victim was a Dallas firefighter, 26-year-old Brian McDaniel, who had been with Dallas Fire-Rescue for two years and was on vacation at the time. Both Cadigan and McDaniel had graduated from Dallas' Bishop Lynch High School in 2010.
Authorities identified the other three victims of the crash as Daniel Thompson, 34, Tristian Hill, 29, and Carla Vallejos Blanco, 29.
The pilot, who wasn't wearing the harness system, survived the crash with minor injuries, according to the NTSB report.
Cadigan had recently moved to New York City to begin his journalism career with Business Insider. He had graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in journalism. Before moving to NYC, Cadigan had also written for several years for GuideLive, the Dallas Morning News entertainment website.
Trevor Cadigan is the son of the late Jerry Cadigan, WFAA's former production operations manager, who was employed at the station for more than 50 years. He died in July.
WFAA has reached out to all three companies involved in the lawsuit but has not heard back as of Thursday evening.