A wrongful death lawsuit has now been filed against the Robinson Helicopter Company in the crash that killed Buffalo businessman Mark Croce.

The lawsuit alleges negligence and design defects caused the helicopter crash on January 9, 2020.

Aviation attorneys Ronald Goldman and Timothy Loranger claim Robinson helicopters has a history with an issue known as mast bumping.

They explain it as contact between the main rotor drive shaft and an inner part of a main rotor blade or a rotor hub.

Goldman said part of the case requires the investigation of the National Transportation Safety Board, and that could take anywhere from six months to two years after the crash to be completed.

At this point in the litigation, Goldman said he is not prepared to give an exact dollar amount that he and his team will fight for, but did say it will be in the millions of dollars.

"I'm comfortable saying it will be very, very substantial,” he said. “And the objective primarily is to bring a sense of justice to this family, that Mr. Croce's death doesn't go unanswered and is not in vain."

Goldman says his firm has taken up litigation around a dozen times against the Robinson Helicopter Company in the past.