BROOKLYN (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – A Borough Park-based company that offers all-inclusive five star tours to Eastern Europe is facing a $5 million lawsuit over a 2021 plane crash in Ukraine that killed three yeshiva students and their pilot.
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Brooklyn Supreme Court records show that Yehuda “Jay” Brull, filed suit as the administrator of the estate of his son Eliazer “Lazer” Brull against LaLechet Tours and its owner, David Landau, on May 30th, petitioning the court to have the case heard by a jury.
Brull and his fellow yeshiva students Amrom Fromowitz and Hershy Weiss died when the small sightseeing plane that they were in as part of a LaLechet Tour of Eastern Europe slammed into a house in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankvisk region, located 365 miles southwest of Kiev.
The three were among dozens of Hasidic yeshiva students from the Mirrer Yeshiva in Jerusalem who had been spending their summer break traveling through Hungary and Ukraine.
Also killed in the crash was Ihor Tabaniuk, the pilot of the Aerospool Advantic WT10, a plane that the suit alleges can “be built by amateurs from a KIT” and is modeled after the company’s WT9, which has an “extensive accident history.” Kyiv Post (https://bit.ly/3PN2faH) reported that there were 47 reported accidents involving the WT9 and that the WT10 can reach airspeeds of nearly 174 miles per hour.
According to the lawsuit, the 20 year old Brull and his fellow passengers were subjected to multiple unsafe conditions as they flew through the Ukrainian skies ten days after Tisha B’Av, which included being transported by a pilot who was both uncertified and had failed to follow a pre-flight checklist that ensured that all passengers were wearing shoulder harnesses.
A post-crash investigation confirmed that the pilot rotated the plane in a barrel roll, in violation of the aircraft’s pilot handbook, causing him to lose control of the aircraft and culminating in the deadly crash.
It took ten rescuers and three fire trucks approximately 20 minutes to extinguish the flames at the home, which was uninhabited at the time of the crash.
The suit charges LaLechet and Landau with gross negligence, reckless and willful indifference for Lazer Brull’s safety, and failure to do their due diligence to assure that the flight was being operated in a safe manner. LaLechet’s website promises visitor their “dream trip,” noting that every detail of their trips are planned “down to the last perfect, flawless, detail.”
Brull family attorney Marc Moller told the New York Post (bit.ly/3PyhbJp) “There are some serious questions to be answered by the tour operator who put this package together.”
LaLechet did not immediately respond to a request for comment by VIN News.
I will get a lot of slack but someone must speak the truth.
The tragic lesson should be, that we don’t belong flying on helicopters or small planes. We shouldn’t be so busy touring Europe and all these exotic locations. We need not enjoy every gashmuis out there. We need to stop making touring Europe into a chasidus and religion and especially not with such extravagance. Let’s enjoy the niflas habora that we have here in the USA. Look at the beautiful trees when walking down ocean parkway and thank Hashem for its beauty and wisdom. Be happy with what you have here. Stop running for more vacations and fun. And for 21 year olds to be on these trips?
I say this because if it won’t stop the next suyim hashss will have to be on a submersible or we won’t be happy. Stop and enjoy what’s around us and stop running
Obviously ask your Rav no two cases are the same. But i tripped once in front of a house that the side walk was torn up no one put any caution tape and it was pitch dark. I fell and hurt my arm. I asked a rov if I can sue? He told me to find out if a jew or non jew owns it. Its not so simple to sue a jew.
Huge chillul Hashem and violation of going to Arkaos. Hashem Yishmor.
All the comments have a TOTAL misunderstanding of what’s going on here. The frum tour company is without doubt insured. When the article states the father of the boy killed is suing the tour company in court, it means he is suing the insurance company. Suing an insurance company does NOT fall under the prohibition of seeking damages in arkaos and is mutar without a psak of bais din. The insurance company will cover all cost including legal and court fees and any award that is granted (except a relatively small deductible).
Going to court is the only way.
Sad, but unfortunately true.
The ONLY way they will refrain from anything like this again is by being afraid of lawsuits.
No Bais Din these days can instill such a fear to a person.
Oy
Had the owner of Tour Company be truly Yirat Shamayim, and tell the victims families that he is sadly responsible for their tragic deaths and offer to settle, and not go to court, it would have been a big Kuddush Ha Shem.
Perhaps the owner can say that he did not authorize
that pilot to fly the craft, that it was written in contract that pilot required proper licensing and equipment , that he was not responsible for their loss.
Perhaps aviation company really needs to be sued.
But u won’t get much money from Ukraine, so blame it on a Jew and ruin his life.
As long as you get your money
All three were adults they should have understood it’s risky business they probably encouraged the pilot to do stunts I don’t see how the parents have any claim here.
Just to mention, Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankvisk is the modern name for the City previously known as Stanislau. The Tzadikim there included the Stanislau Rebbe and many others.
The Brulls min has stam asked a grubeh shayla if they are allowed haachakily go to court to capitalize on his sons untimely death. As did the other families.
Let’s not forget that 5 million or 500 million will not bring the kids back.
…v’hachay yitain el leeboi…
The whole thing is a pointless exercise as the company doesn’t have 5m or probably even 50k to pay of they lose.
”סוף סוף יש לנו לומר ”ברוך דיין האמת ” as to the grief of the families, המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון בירושלים.
In my humble opinion, the luxurious life style is getting out of hand. Just because there is money in the account, doesn’t mean that you have to spend it.
What’s the point? What will he gain? Did he asked a רב? And if yes let him say which רב.
what is this touring…its real bitul Torah!!!!how do these ucherim jusify Real Bitul Torah…….
Fact: no pilot wants to die.
Fact: the same pilot flew other boys without doing anything dangerous in the sky.
Fact: these boys weren’t strapped in.
Fact: the tragedy happened shortly after the dangerous stunt.
Is it obvious who convinced whom to do something dangerous?
YES! this was a “DREAM TRIP”…….