A snowmobiler who crashed into a parked Black Hawk helicopter is awarded $3 million

Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the government is liable for a nighttime collision involving a snowmobiler who crashed into a parked Black Hawk helicopter in Massachusetts and awarded him $3.3 million in damages. Jeff Smith nearly died after the March 2019 crash. He was demanding $9.5 million in damages from the government to cover his medical expenses and lost wages, as well as to hold the military responsible for the crash. U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni blamed both parties for the crash in his ruling Monday. But he said the government was 60% responsible for parking the helicopter on a snowmobile trail.