A snowmobiler who crashed into a parked Black Hawk helicopter is awarded $3 million

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The federal government was mostly responsible for a nighttime collision involving a snowmobiler who nearly died after hitting a Black Hawk helicopter that was parked on a Massachusetts trail, a judge ruled in awarding him $3.3 million in damages. U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni blamed both parties for the March 2019 crash in his ruling Monday, but said the government was 60% responsible for parking the helicopter on a snowmobile trail. Smith’s lawyers argued that the crew of the Black Hawk helicopter that flew from New York’s Fort Drum to Worthington, Massachusetts, for night training was negligent for parking a camouflaged 64-foot aircraft on a rarely used airfield also used by snowmobilers. “The helicopter and area where it was parked were not illuminated or marked in any way.” Smith also sued the owner of Albert Farms airfield in Worthington, accusing them of both giving permission to snowmobilers to use the trail and the Black Hawk crew to land in the same area.