Jan
14
The family of a 21-year-old suburban Lake Worth woman, who was killed when a plane piloted by Dan Shalloway crashed into her mobile home in October, is suing the estate of the noted engineer, who also died in the accident.
Domingo Galicia is embraced by members of the community after October crash off Lake Worth Road. (Palm Beach Post)
In the lawsuit filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the family of Banny Galicia claims Shalloway’s negligence caused his single-engine Piper Archer aircraft to crash into Galicia’s home in Mar-Mak Colony Club near Palm Beach County State College.
A student at the college, Galicia was sleeping when the plane hit the home, causing it to erupt in flames. Her father, Domingo Galicia was injured while trying to rescue her from the burning home.
“Instead (he) watching helplessly as the ensuing fire consumed it with his daughter inside,” wrote attorneys Mariano Garcia and Michael Pike, who are representing the family.
Shalloway, 64, an avid pilot who was influential in Palm Beach County political circles, was flying from Kissimmee to the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana. Just before the crash, he radioed that he was three miles from the general aviation airport, according to the lawsuit.
Dan Shalloway
He then radioed that he was turning left and headed for Runway 15. It was his last transmission.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what went wrong in the 14 seconds between Shalloway’s final communication and the crash. Aviation experts suggested that something either went wrong with the plane or something happened to Shalloway. The probe, they said, would be difficult because much of the evidence was destroyed in the fire.
The Galicia family is suing Shalloway’s wife, Lisa Tropepe, a Palm Beach Shores town commissioner who worked with her husband at their engineering firm and is personal representative of the estate. They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
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