A new groom was killed when a helicopter taking him from his wedding crashed into trees — leaving his severely injured new bride forced to lie underneath his corpse for six hours waiting to be rescued, according to a lawsuit.
uncertain
helicopter → kill → lawsuit
Jesni Sam and Dave Fiji, a Delta pilot, had been married only a few hours when their wedding day turned into an “unimaginable nightmare” as the chopper taking them from their celebration at the Revere, a wedding venue in Dawnsonville, Georgia, crashed minutes after takeoff, killing the groom and their pilot.
asserted
chopper → marry → groom
The bride miraculously survived — but endured hours of horror as she was wounded and trapped in the mangled wreckage under the man she meant to spend the rest of her life with.
asserted
she → survive → life
“For nearly six hours, Jesni remained trapped in the rubble, with the deceased corpse of the man she had married only hours earlier lying on top of her,” according to a new lawsuit filed Tuesday by Robb & Robb LLC, a firm that represented Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, after the NBA legend’s 2020 death in a helicopter crash.
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that → remain → crash
The young newlyweds boarded the Robinson R66 helicopter, operated by Prestige Helicopters, around 11:45 p.m. for a “helicopter sendoff” bound for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
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newlyweds → board → Airport
It took off despite poor weather conditions — and clipped some tall trees just five minutes into the flight, sending it crashing into the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
NTSB weather information cited in the lawsuit states the area may have had rain, fog, low clouds and moderate rain.
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area → take → rain
Weather advisories were also in effect for thunderstorms, poor visibility and mountain obscuration, according to the lawsuit.
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advisories → accord → lawsuit
Fiji’s mother, Phebah Fiji, told Fox 5 that they were amazed the helicopter ride wasn’t canceled, which her son, a pilot for Delta, was also concerned about.
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son → tell → Delta
“Initially, it was going to be called off because of weather concerns,” she said.
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she → go → concerns
“However, when the chopper came in, the pilot was very confident that it wouldn’t be an issue, even though it had started raining.”
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it → come → ?
The bride was knocked out in the deadly crash and suffered serious injuries to her hip, leg, neck, fingers, arm and stomach, the lawsuit alleges.
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lawsuit → knock → hip
She also experienced headaches, dizziness, loss of balance and was left with extensive scarring across her face and body.
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She → experience → face
She’s also been left with “emotional and psychological trauma” so severe it “is difficult to comprehend,” the lawsuit claims.
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lawsuit → leave → trauma
The widow continues to experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, grief, anxiety and a fear of flying.
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widow → continue → flying
The Revere had contracted the Atlanta-based chopper company, Prestige Helicopters, to operate the flight for the newlyweds, according to the lawsuit.
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Revere → contract → lawsuit
The filing accuses The Revere and Prestige Helicopters of negligence for failing to appropriately check the weather and deciding to take.
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filing → accuse → weather
The Revere did not have proper procedures for postponing or canceling the helicopter ride, the suit alleges.
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suit → have → ride
The complaint additionally accuses the pilot, Nikhil Nargundkar, of failing to cancel the flight despite rainy and foggy conditions and raises questions about the helicopter’s altitude.
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complaint → accuse → altitude
Sam is demanding compensation for medical expenses, rehabilitation, and emotional suffering.
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Sam → demand → expenses
She and Fiji’s estate are additionally seeking damages for Fiji’s funeral expenses and loss of income.
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She → seek → income
The filing requests a trial by jury to determine the amount.
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filing → request → amount