An Instagram post revealed that Island Express Helicopters Inc. received a donation of $603,838 through the CARES Act funding. However, Vanessa Bryant was not happy with the news, responding to it with heartbroken emojis. This is because it is the helicopter company that crashed in January, killing Vanessa’s husband and NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
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Bryant was traveling along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in the helicopter. The tragic crash killed everyone on board, including the pilot. Since then, Vanessa has been fighting against the company.
In February, she filed a lawsuit accusing the pilot and the Island Express Helicopters Inc. of being negligent. However, as a response to the accusations, a representative of the pilot said that passengers have equal responsibility. Additionally, the company said that the passengers “voluntarily assume the risk of the accident, injury, and damages.”
The company that operated the helicopter that caused the Kobe Bryant crash received $603,838 in CARES Act funding in May.
via vanessabryant/IG pic.twitter.com/jEDlH0DxkB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 19, 2020
Naturally, Vanessa Bryant had to respond when news broke of the company receiving the donation. She posted a photo on her Instagram that read: “Island Express Helicopters, the company that operated the helicopter that crashed in January killing NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others, including the pilot, just received $603,838 in CARES Act funding.”
She captioned the post with heartbroken emojis.
Vanessa Bryant urged Congress to pass the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act
On Thursday, Vanessa Bryant raised her voice urging Congress to pass a bill to improve the safety of helicopters, named after her late husband and child.
According to CNN, the act, if passed, “would require all helicopters certified to carry six or more people to be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder.”
Vanessa Bryant Urges Government to Pass Helicopter Safety Act pic.twitter.com/mdZc9sBGxT
— Global Grind (@GlobalGrind) June 20, 2020
CNN also obtained a statement from Vanessa urging Congress to pass the bill.
“I strongly urge that the United States Congress pass a federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in this country,” she stated. “I believe there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation.”
