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thedrifter
08-14-08, 07:26 AM
Families sue utility over Marines' deaths
Published: Aug. 13, 2008 at 3:26 PM

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Families of four U.S. Marines killed in a 2004 helicopter accident are suing a San Diego utility they say failed to take preventive measures.

San Diego Gas & Electric knew its towers and power lines were a danger to area aircraft but failed to install ball-shaped markers or safety lights to protect against accidents, allege the families in a suit being heard in Superior Court.

They seek unspecified damages in a wrongful death action referring to a Jan. 22, 2004, nighttime accident in which a low-flying Marine copter hit a utility tower, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

"The tower was not lit," said families' attorney Todd Macaluso told the jury on the civil trial's first day. "It had no ball marker, and we're going to prove that the tower could not be seen."

But lawyers for SDG&E blame pilot error for the accident, saying the Marines were briefed on the lines and were outside their normal training area, the Union-Tribune report said.

"These pilots basically got lost and didn't know where they were," said utility attorney Larry Davis.

Ellie