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Westport Woman Suing Bridgeport For Sikorsky Plane Crash

Roxanne Sward, wife of the pilot, Paul Sward, is reportedly suing Bridgeport, which owns the airport, for failing to follow Federal Aviation Administration and state safety recommendations.

A Westport woman is reportedly suing the City of Bridgeport for injuries she sustained in a .

According to a report in the CT Post, Roxanne Sward, wife of the pilot, Paul Sward, is suing the city, which owns the , for failing to follow Federal Aviation Administration and state recommendations to remove a steel blast wall which reportedly collapsed onto the plane after it was struck.

Sward reportedly suffered "severe and possibly permanent injuries to her left leg" when one of the heavy steel girders supporting the blast wall collapsed and pierced the plane's cockpit.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The plane was reportedly owned by former state Sen. Robert Russo, who rented it to Paul Sward.

Both Roxanne and Paul Sward had to be extricated from the plane following the crash. Both were taken to Bridgeport Hospital.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sward’s lawyer said in the report that the city failed to replace the blast wall with a “frangible” type — made of concrete as opposed to steel — designed to give way when struck, as recommended by the FAA and NTSB.

At least four aircraft have crashed into the steel blast wall during the past 17 years, according to the report, with one of those crashes claiming the lives of eight people.

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