Families of fallen first responders from BCSO helicopter crash sue Bernalillo County
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Tuesday marks two years since the Bernalillo County Sheriff Office’s Metro two helicopter crash that killed all four first responders on board. But the anniversary comes with conflict: as BCSO holds a memorial for the fallen, the victims’ families are suing the county for wrongful death.
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Tuesday evening, BCSO held a memorial for the four first responders who died in the crash: Larry Koren, Michael Levison, Fred Beers, and Matthew King. It was July 2022, when the four men were onboard BCSO’s Metro 2 helicopter helping fight wildfires in Las Vegas when it crashed killing all four first responders.
“They just told us what happened and it just turned our life upside down,” Marie Levison, Michael Levison’s stepmother told KRQE News 13 in 2023.
Only adding to the families’ pain was learning the crash could’ve been prevented. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash, the helicopter’s engine failed in part due to poor maintenance. It found that a small piece of metal found in the helicopter’s oil system 17 flight hours before the crash wasn’t fully analyzed, which could’ve led crews to find the failing part of the helicopter.
The families are now taking Bernalillo County to court. In two separate lawsuits, the families of Levison, King, and Beers are suing the county for wrongful death. One lawsuit states the county, “Knew that failing to fully investigate the chip event could result in catastrophic failure on Metro 2’s engine” and “Should not have continued flying Metro 2 after the chip event until it knew the aircraft could be flown without endangering the crew.”
KRQE News 13 reached out to the county about the lawsuits. A spokesperson responded that the county does not have a statement at this time.
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