A Dunnellon couple is accusing a pilot and an aircraft mechanic of flying under the influence before they fatally crashed their plane on State Road 200 and totaled the couple’s vehicle.
Ramon Escalante and his wife, Nancy, are seeking more than $50,000 from the estates of Peter Morrow and Christopher Belcher, the pilot and mechanic who were killed in the fatal crash on Halloween 2019.
In addition to Morrow, who co-owned the Jamaica Inn with his brother, the lawsuit names World Caribbean Resorts, Morrow’s company, as well as Belcher’s employer, Ocala Aviation Services Inc., and Old Republic Aerospace, which is a subsidiary of Old Republic Insurance Company.
The complaint was filed by Ocala-based attorney Henry G. Ferro in the fifth judicial circuit court of Marion County on October 27. In the suit, the Escalantes allege that Morrow tested positive for diazepam, nordiazepam, and Xanax in his blood at the time of the crash.
The couple alleges that the adverse effects of the drugs would have led to Morrow experiencing “drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness,” and sedation during the flight. They accuse Morrow of having “negligently operated and/or maintained the aircraft” before it crashed into their vehicle.
The couple also accuses Belcher of having “loratadine, desloratadine, and ibuprofen” in his blood to a degree that caused “feelings of sleepiness,” according to the complaint.
The Escalantes accuse Belcher’s employer, for whom he worked as an aircraft mechanic, of being “negligent in failing to ensure that their in-flight aircraft mechanic was not able to operate and/or maintain the aircraft” before allegedly colliding with the vehicle.
As a result of the crash, Mr. Escalante says that he suffered “serious injuries to his hand and cervical spine.”
“As a result, [Mr. Escalante] has suffered serious bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life,” and has incurred hospital and medical expenses, according to the complaint.
The plane crash took place along SW College Road on October 31, 2019, near the Market Street at Heath Brook. At the time, witnesses and officials confirmed that the plane came down SR 200, slid across all lanes of traffic, and slammed into a large pole before bursting into flames.
Emergency personnel at the scene also confirmed that the plane struck a vehicle and caused an injury to Escalante.
Prior to the crash, witnesses had reported seeing the plane flying low and almost hitting a building before it curved over the top of it and slammed onto the roadway.
The plane originally took off from the Ocala International Airport at approximately 11 a.m. and headed west. The air traffic controller at the time reported that the plane appeared to be losing its course and began to drift east.
The tower advised Morrow to get back on course, and he told the tower that the aircraft needed to return to the airport.
Within 10 seconds of the communication, the plane went down.