Nearly four months after the world lost legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna along with seven others, in a fatal helicopter crash, the autopsy report listed blunt trauma as the cause of their death. The report also ruled out the presence of alcohol or drugs in the system of the helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan.
Bryant and Gianna along with seven others were on their way to Thousand Oaks, California, to participate in a basketball match, when the chopper in which they were travelling, crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, on January 26. All nine members aboard the ill-fated chopper, along with the pilot Zobayan, died on the spot.
Broken Bones, Dismembered Body Parts- Autopsy Report
The autopsy report listed the cause of death as blunt trauma which took place in an accidental manner, for the all the nine members on board the chopper, including the pilot. In the reports provided by the the Los Angeles County coroner, the toxicology screens tested for cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, marijuana and alcohol among others for Zobayan, came out negative.
In the autopsy report of Bryant, who was identified by the doctors by his fingerprints, Juan Carrillo, senior deputy medical examiner, wrote: "These injuries are rapidly if not instantly fatal." The report added that methylphenidate, a drug used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was found in Bryant's system.
The Sun reported that the reports revealed the impact of the crash upon those who were in the helicopter. "Broken bones, dismembered body parts, and residue of fuel on the clothes was found," stated the publication. During the search and rescue operation undertaken soon after the crash, Bryant's body was found lying on one side of the wreckage while Gianna's was in a ravine on the opposite side.
Helicopter Firm Calls Crash an 'Act of God'
Vanessa Bryant, widow of the NBA legend, had filed a 72-page lawsuit against the helicopter firm Island Express and the pilot, for wrongful death. The lawsuit described them as "wanton, willful, callous, reckless and depraved".
TMZ reported that in a reply filed against the lawsuit, Island Express called it an act of God and blamed Gianna for her own death.
On the fatal day, the helicopter which was reportedly flying at about 184 mph in blinding fog when it plunged more than 1,000 feet in about a minute, crash-landing on a mountainside.
""Kobe Bryant and GB [Gigi] had actual knowledge of all of the circumstances, particular dangers, and an appreciation of the risks involved and the magnitude thereof, and proceeded to encounter a known risk, and voluntarily assumed the risk of the accident, injury thereby barring or reducing [Vanessa's] claim for damages." The firm went on to state that Vanessa has no case against them as the foggy weather conditions were an "act of god".
