Judge Sends Suit for California Man’s Helicopter Crash Death to Workers’ Comp

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died in an ambulance helicopter crash has been thrown out by a judge who said the case must go through California’s workers’ compensation death benefits program.

The Fresno Bee reported that Kyle Juarez’s widow, Brooke Juarez, and their children sued Rogers Helicopters and American Airborne, claiming a lack of maintenance to the helicopter led to the crash.

Kyle Juarez died December 2015 at the age of 37 along with three others when the Skylife helicopter crashed in Kern County. He was a flight and ground paramedic and nine-year veteran of American Ambulance.

The judge said Kyle Juarez’s family must go through the workers’ compensation program because his death occurred while he was working.