A jury in Asotin County has determined the state of Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife was not at fault in the death of a 17-year-old Lewiston pilot who died in a helicopter crash in 2015.
Hayden Simmons was at the controls while flying over Ayers Canyon with his 16-year-old cousin, when the aircraft reportedly struck power lines strung across the gulch in rural Asotin County.
Lawsuits were filed against the state agency and Clearwater Power, alleging the power lines and utility poles were unmarked and invisible or very difficult to see. Clearwater Power operates the lines, and the helicopter crashed on state property managed by Fish and Wildlife.
An undisclosed settlement was reached with the power company before the beginning of the civil trial Nov. 1st in Asotin County Superior Court. On Wednesday afternoon, the 14-member jury reached its verdict on the state case, concluding there was no negligence on the part of Fish and Wildlife in the teen’s death. (Lewiston Tribune)
