Sympathy Fest Among Phoenix Media Likely to End Soon
By Dennis Durband July 31, 2007
So
far, we have seen sympathy and exchanges of affection between the
members of Phoenix TV stations 3 and 15 in the aftermath of their
members killed in the July 27th helicopter crash. Once we get past
memorial and funeral services and the lawyers take over, that is
likely to end.
Grief often gives way to anger.
Already, Steve Chealander of the National
Transportation Safety Board and eyewitnesses have alleged that
Channel 15 chopper pilot Craig Smith caused the accident that took
the lives of the two men aboard the Channel 3 helicopter and his
Channel 15 colleague Rick Krolak. They’ve said it appears that Smith
initiated contact with the stationary Channel 3 chopper. Channel 3
pilot Scott Bowerbank may be complicit as well for “parking” too
close to Channel 15. Whatever happens, public sentiment will likely
zero in on Christopher Jones, who led police on that chase, rather
than placing judgment at the feet of any of the nice guy pilots.
In about nine months, the NTSB will issue a final report likely to
implicate who was at fault in the accident. In the long months until
then, new and old media alike will speculate on the causes.
Accusations and emotions running on high heat cause boilovers. The
love fest between stations may give way to tempers, tensions and
defensiveness. On Monday, Channel 3 anchor Patti Kirkpatrick already
displayed defensiveness regarding talk radio chatter on the tragedy.
Today, a Channel 15 staff report referred to the accident as a
mid-air “collision.” A Channel 3 report claims their own crew of Cox
and Bowerbank “were killed Friday when the NewsChopper 3 helicopter
collided with Channel 15’s helicopter while covering a chase in
downtown Phoenix.” One would expect the stations’ respective lawyers
to start reviewing such stories before posting on the Internet.
Careless posts could be used as exhibits in future court
proceedings.
KFYI Radio, Phoenix, ran a report today speculating on the cause of
the accident. These questions, along with debate, will not only
persist, but will likely intensify.
A helicopter is a very expensive piece of equipment. Talented pilots
and journalists are valuable assets. Human lives are invaluable.
Channels 3 and 15 will have to pay through the nose the next time
they are in position to insure helicopters. Somebody is going to
have to pay. The attorneys will certainly get their share of the
millions awarded by the courts in the years to come. Lawyers are
probably foaming at the mouth to catch this gravy train.
Christopher Jones, the 23-year-old man who led Phoenix police on a
tepid, low-speed auto chase below the dense pack of news helicopters
that awful day, is not going to be a source of money for the
survivors and the TV stations looking for compensation. Attorneys
may or may not even agree to implicate him in the fatalities. It
appears to be a stretch to say that Jones “caused” the accident when
news organizations, pilots and photographers made voluntary
decisions to go airborne in search of street mayhem. The lawyers can
only take aim at the TV stations to get any money for their clients.
All four of the men who died are said to have been great guys. When
one of the two pilots is blamed for the catastrophe, it is not going
to sit well. The victims are going to be angered when the helicopter
accident is put into context by the NTSB. The community may well be
divided as well.
Tensions, rumors, innuendo and anger may flare up long before the
NTSB issues its report. Things could get ugly. You can bet the
Phoenix New Times’ investigative reporters are working in
overdrive on this story right now.
