Widows file lawsuits over Hendrick plane crash
by: The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The widows of two men killed in the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash in 2004 sued the company, contending negligence.

Hendrick Motorsports showed "conscious and intentional disregard" for Randy Dorton's safety, Dorton's widow, Dianne, said, according to a complaint filed in Lincoln County. Dorton ran Hendrick Motorsports' engine program.

Dianne Dorton said the company didn't respond to her requests for help after the crash and the lawsuit was "just an insurance issue."

The lawsuit, filed in December, seeks compensation for what Dorton would have earned during his lifetime, said Willow Mehrtens, a paralegal in the office of Dorton's attorney, David Burgess. She said Wednesday the amount was in "seven figures."

The plane crashed near Martinsville, Va., in October 2004, killing 10 people, including Scott Lathram, a helicopter pilot for driver Tony Stewart.

Lathram's widow, Tracy, filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County that claims that at least 27 other aircraft scratched plans to land at the Martinsville airport on Oct. 24 because of bad weather.

Dianne Dorton's lawsuit contends Hendrick Motorsports was liable in Randy Dorton's death because it allowed the plane to fly to Martinsville instead of another airport.

Hendrick Motorsports spokesman Jesse Essex said company employees may not comment on active legal cases.