Michael Wolfe & Paul Nelson Channel 2 News
A second lawsuit has been filed in the wake of September's deadly crash at the Reno Air Races.
Monday, a San Diego-based law office filed suit in Nevada District Court on behalf of Gerry de Treville of Ukiah, California who was seriously injured and lost an eye in the crash.
The suit names the family of Galloping Ghost pilot Jimmy Leeward, the Reno air Racing Association, the mechanic who worked on the plane and the company that maintained the Galloping Ghost as defendants. "They took this P-51, heavily modified it, made it a lot faster, shortened the wing span, narrowed the wing span, and basically it was an untested experimental airplane that the association should never have allowed to be racing with spectators around."
Mike Houghton, of the Reno Air Racing Association, says they haven't been served with the lawsuit yet, but aren't surprised by it, even though it hasn't been determined if anyone is at fault. "I don't think it's about laying blame, at this juncture. I think it's about a legal process that people and attorneys feel they need to go through."
Houghton says he wouldn't be surprised if there are more lawsuits coming.
But he also says that many of the victims have been supportive of the event and the organizations involved, since the crash.
And while many of their lives may never be the same, he hopes everyone involved will do what's right. "We need to deal with a lot of our friends and our friends' issues and make sure that we're doing the right thing for, not only the victims, but also the right thing for the community and the right thing for the sport."
Earlier this month an attorney for the family of a Texas man killed in the crash filed a $25 million lawsuit.
Leeward's modified P51 Mustang plunged nose-first into a crowd of hundreds of spectators, killing 11 and injuring more than 50.
Pictures show that a piece of the tail fell off the plane while it was in mid-flight.
