The fourth victim of a helicopter crash that killed three Payette National Forest firefighters and their pilot was identified as thirty-four-year-old Lillian M. Patten of Olympia, Wash., who was part of the forests’ Krassel Helitack operation. The three firefighters were flying to a remote guard station when the helicopter went down. Michael Gene Lewis of Cascade, Idaho, Monica Lee Zajanc of Boise, and Quin Stone (the pilot of the helicopter) also died in the crash. A team of aviation experts from the U.S. Forest and an agent from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.
The victims were injured while working. Workers compensation laws provide one, but not the only, remedy. Where third parties (that is, not employers or co-employees) are responsible for causing injuries or death, a lawsuit for much more extensive remedies may be initiated.
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