Jury nixes claims against air rescue firm in fatal accident

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A federal jury has rejected negligence and warranty claims against an air rescue company that was sued by the family of a Delaware firefighter who died after falling from a helicopter during a 2016 training exercise. The jury ruled Thursday that the family of Timothy McClanahan failed to show that Arizona-based Priority 1 Air Rescue was negligent in providing the hoist operator tether McClanahan used and failing to warn of a hazard associated with its use. The jury also rejected the family’s claim that Priority 1 breached an express or implied warranty in providing the tether. McClanahan was participating in a training exercise, when he stepped out onto the helicopter’s skid and fell about 100 feet to his death.