Three Italian business owners who visited B.C. for a skiing holiday in January 2024 are suing B.C.-based helicopter company Skyline Helicopters Ltd. for what they say were pilot errors that caused a helicopter they were flying in to crash.
At least four people were killed in the crash, including the pilot, according to Castanet.
Jakob Oberraugh, Johannes Peer and Emilio Zierock filed their lawsuit against Skyline in BC Supreme Court Aug. 11. They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and health-care costs.
BIV contacted Skyline to get its response to the plaintiffs' allegations. The woman who answered the phone would not provide her name but she said the West Kelowna company had no comment and then hung up the phone. The company did not respond to an email from BIV asking for a response.
The plaintiffs claimed they were part of a group of friends and relatives from Italy who were visiting the Skeena Mountains in northern B.C.
Their first planned helicopter flight was cancelled due to freezing rain, they said in their lawsuit.
The next morning, a Skyline helicopter picked up the group from a lodge and flew them to various ski runs in nearby mountains, they claimed.
"Cloud cover had increased over the day, and fog had accumulated around many of the peaks," the lawsuit said.
"Visibility was poor and the light was very flat. As the helicopter was climbing, the pilot lost visual reference to the ground. He flew the helicopter straight into the mountain. The helicopter was torn to pieces. The occupants were thrown in various directions."
The plaintiffs said that the accident would have been avoided had the pilot chosen to end heli-skiing operations for the day.
They claimed that the helicopter's emergency locator transmitter did not activate. As a result, they said, their rescue was delayed.
"The plaintiffs were stranded for hours on the cold mountain, with open wounds, broken limbs and vertebrae, and head injuries," they claimed.
Oberraugh and Peer claimed in their lawsuit to be key executives and "directing minds" in what they said is a group of Italian, Austrian and German companies. The group includes physical and online retail sporting goods stores, real estate holdings and management companies, they said.
Oberraugh, who was 34 years old at the time of the incident, was not able to participate in company decisions for "several weeks" following the incident, he claimed.
"Significant deals fell through and opportunities were missed," he said.
His injuries are enough that he will "never return to his pre-accident levels of functioning at work or in his recreational life," he said in his lawsuit.
Peer, who was also 34 years old at the time of the incident, had injuries that were enough to keep him out of work decisions for "several months," he alleged.
That meant "significant deals fell through and opportunities were missed," he added in the lawsuit.
"Even after extensive rehabilitation and recovery time, Johannes cannot focus on work like he did before the accident. His pain interferes with his ability to concentrate. He has less energy and requires far more sleep. He needs to take time away from work for rehab exercises and to attend physio sessions. His memory has been impacted by his concussion."
The final plaintiff, Zierock, said he was 35 years old at the time of the crash.
He and siblings operate a family winery, with his role being responsible for key aspects of the business, including developing new wines, managing the vineyard and distributing products in German-speaking regions in Europe, the lawsuit said.
His injuries included a fractured vertebrae and effects of a steel plate in his forearm, he claimed.
All three were admitted to Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace, according to the lawsuit, and then they required further hospital care in other B.C. and Italian hospitals.
"Skyline is liable for the fault of the pilot," the lawsuit claimed.
None of the allegations in the lawsuit has been tested in court.
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