Seven months after an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board, a victim’s bereaved family has formally filed a government tort claim seeking $200 million in damages.
Kristen Miller-Zahn, a Santa Barbara resident and sister of victim Dustin Miller, originally contacted the Independent in March to share her brother’s story after retaining a Santa Barbara law firm to sue the U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over his death.
“Dustin was a light in this world. He cherished his family and gave of himself endlessly to others. He wasn’t just a brother, a son — he was the kind of person who made everyone feel seen, safe, and loved. And now he’s gone,” Miller-Zahn said. “He was taken from us, as were 66 others, in a disaster that should never have happened. We are devastated. We are forever changed. And we are not alone.”…