Broward Sheriffs Office

Family of woman killed in helicopter crash set to sue BSO for $50 million

Attorneys for the family of Lurean Wheaton filed a notice of claim Tuesday with BSO and are seeking up to $50 million in damages

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The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on what led up to the deadly crash of a BSO helicopter.

The family of a woman who was killed when a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue helicopter crashed into her Pompano Beach home last month is planning on suing the law enforcement agency for tens of millions of dollars.

Attorneys for the family of Lurean Wheaton filed a notice of claim Tuesday with BSO and are seeking up to $50 million in damages.

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Wheaton, 65, was sleeping in her bed when the "unsafe and un-airworthy" helicopter crashed into her home on Aug. 28, the claim said.

A close friend described Lurean Wheaton, 65, as a humble and kind person who had overcome drug addiction and was sober for over a decade.

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"Ms. Wheaton’s longtime partner, Zerney Taylor, narrowly avoided death only because he was walking back from the restroom when the crash occurred," the claim said. "He saw the helicopter land on top of Ms. Wheaton, crushing her to death."

Wheaton's family is represented by attorney Gary C. Robb, who recently represented the family of Kobe Bryant following his death in a 2020 helicopter crash.

"If you are not safe while asleep in your own home, where can you be safe?" Robb said in a statement. "Crashing a law enforcement helicopter into her home — the place where we are supposed to feel the most safe and secure — was the ultimate invasion of Lurean Wheaton’s right to live."

Capt. Terryson Jackson, a flight paramedic who was on the helicopter, was also killed in the crash.

"As you can imagine, these families are hurting just like we were hurting as an organization, and I would expect them to do anything that they think is appropriate without resistance from myself or this organization," Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony told reporters after a ceremony Wednesday.

NBC6 viewers caught the moment the helicopter lost control and crashed into an apartment complex.

Tony said the helicopter crew experienced a mechanical issue and put out a distress signal as a fire broke out on board shortly after it was in the air. Moments later, the chopper fell out of the sky.

Robb said there was evidence showing BSO knew the helicopter was unsafe and cited a 2017 BSO Aviation Unit Review and Helicopter Fleet Analysis that found it underwent engine and transmission overhauls in late 2016 and early 2017 and concluded "this aircraft should have been replaced before absorbing the cost of these overhauls."

"That a public entity charged with protecting and safeguarding the public would consciously fly dangerous helicopters directly over the homes, schools, and businesses of Broward County residents for six years is reckless to the extreme,” Robb said.

Days after the crash, Broward commissioners unanimously approved the allocation of $15 million to replace the helicopter, which had been built in 1999.

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