Fatal Helicopter Crash, Victim's Family Sues

The family of one of the victims of the New York City helicopter crash has sued the helicopter company, claiming the pilot failed to properly protect his passenger.

Trevor Cadigan was on the chopper that went down Sunday in the East River. He, along with the 4 other passengers, perished when the chopper sank. The pilot, Richard Vance, was the only survivor.

According to the lawsuit, the pilot allegedly failed to maintain proper control of the chopper, failed to properly perform emergency procedures and failed to properly secure personal items within the helicopter. There are reports the pilot claims a piece of luggage may have hit the fuel-control cutoff valve, which caused the chopper to lose power.

Perhaps the key to the lawsuit ... it alleges the helicopter company did not provide the appropriate number of knives, if any, to cut the passengers out of their nylon harnesses. The suit also claims the harnesses were attached from the back by a metal ring, which is a death trap because it does not permit passengers to reach and activate release mechanisms.

The suit also takes a shot at Vance, saying he didn't take reasonable steps to save his passengers after he secured his own release.

And the suit goes on ... the yellow inflatable pontoons did not properly and timely inflate to prevent the chopper from flipping on its side.