Mother of aspiring journalist killed in horrific helicopter crash on the East River wins $116 million in record lawsuit

The mother of an aspiring journalist who died in a tragic 2018 helicopter crash on the East River when his seatbelt failed to release won a $116 million settlement Wednesday – the largest settlement in New York State history.

A Manhattan Supreme Court jury awarded a record-breaking settlement to Nancy Cadigan, the mother of 26-year-old Trevor Cadigan, who drowned along with four other passengers when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed into the East River in March 2018.

Both of Cadigan's parents were originally named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, but his father Jerry, himself a broadcast journalist, did not live to see the day of reckoning, as he died in July at the age of 72.

Kansas City-based attorney Gary C. Robb, who represented Cadigan's parents, praised the jury at the end of the three-month trial for “holding these companies accountable for their immoral and reckless actions.”

Wednesday's $116,067,076 award represents the largest jury verdict for a single wrongful death in New York State history, according to legal research firm VerdictSearch.

The lawsuit alleges that the doorless helicopter flights – popular with amateur photographers who want to dangle their legs over the city – are far more dangerous than regular doorless flights because they require a much more restrictive harness and restraint system that is much more difficult to release in an emergency than regular helicopter harnesses.

The sole survivor, helicopter pilot Richard Vance – who was also an original defendant in the Cadigans' lawsuit – survived largely because he was not similarly restrained, officials said at the time.

“These open-door helicopter tour operators put Trevor in a death trap, and they knew it. They had known for months that in the event of an emergency ditching, the passengers would have no chance of escaping their makeshift harness and restraint system,” Robb said.

FLYNYON, the charter company Cadigan was flying with at the time of his death, still offers doorless tours, but now with harnesses that are easier to remove in an emergency – a rule the FAA issued after the crash.

According to the verdict, the jury found both FLYON and the helicopter's owner, Liberty Helicopter, almost equally guilty. A third defendant, aircraft parts manufacturer Dart, was also found liable because a defective inflator failed to deploy when the helicopter hit the water. Helicopter manufacturer Airbus was not found guilty.

Cadigan's best friend, 26-year-old Dallas firefighter Brian McDaniel, also drowned in the horrific accident. His family settled a similar lawsuit in 2022.

The legal team representing FLYON and Liberty Helicopter did not respond to a request for comment. An attorney representing Dart also did not respond in time for publication.