2:56 pm UTC Jan. 25, 2021
USA TODAY Sports is marking the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others with a six-day series of stories, photos and videos looking back at the Lakers legend and the aftermath of his death.
When the helicopter careened into a California hillside on the morning of Jan. 26, 2020, killing Kobe Bryant and the eight others on board, the initial response around the world was shock.
Then, it was: How?
How did this seemingly routine trip to a youth basketball game end in tragedy? How did the helicopter that Bryant used for years suddenly crash?
3:59 pm UTC Jan. 22, 2021
USA TODAY Sports is marking the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others with a six-day series of stories, photos and videos looking back at the Lakers legend and the aftermath of his death.
In a 72-page complaint, Vanessa Bryant alleged that the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California – which left her husband, daughter and seven others dead – could have been avoided. She claimed the pilot, Ara Zobayan, had shown poor judgment during that Jan. 26 flight. And that his employer, Island Express Helicopters, should be held responsible for the tragic outcome. Plaintiffs deceased, Kobe Bryant, was killed as a direct result of the negligent conduct of Zobayan, the complaint alleges, for which Defendant Island Express Helicopters is vicariously liable in all respects.