NBC helicopter crash: Grim truth about pilot and reporter’s deaths revealed by coroner

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The deaths of an NBC4 pilot and reporter in a helicopter crash have taken a new turn after officials released fresh findings following the September 15 tragedy in Chatsworth.

George Marciniw and Eliana Moreno were covering a deadly crash on the ground when their helicopter went down nearby.

Now, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has provided new details about what happened to the two journalists after the aircraft crashed.

Medical examiner reveals findings

Pilot George Marciniw was officially found to have died from blunt force trauma, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

Reporter Moreno also died from blunt force trauma.

Her death record additionally lists thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion. Both deaths were ruled accidental.

The medical examiner also determined that 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was on the ground when the helicopter crashed, died from blunt head trauma.

The findings concern the victims' deaths and do not establish what caused the helicopter itself to crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the aircraft's final moments and the circumstances that led to the crash.

Moreno and Marciniw had been assigned to cover an earlier deadly collision involving a Metro bus and an SUV in Chatsworth.

Authorities identified Bailee Lynn Rios as the driver of a vehicle involved in the collision.

Prosecutors allege Rios was driving the wrong way at high speed and ran a red light before the SUV struck the Metro bus.

Two passengers, Daniel Castillo and Gage Weida died in that collision, while several others were injured.

Rios was later charged with two counts of second-degree murder, DUI causing injury and reckless driving. 

Rios court hearing delayed again

Rios was expected to be arraigned Monday but did not appear, marking the third postponement of her court hearing.

Her previous hearing was also delayed for medical reasons.

On Friday, she was transported to the San Fernando courthouse by ambulance and brought inside on a gurney but did not enter the courtroom or formally appear before a judge.

The separate investigations into the road collision and helicopter crash are continuing.

For the helicopter case, investigators are still working to determine what caused the aircraft to fall.

The newly released medical examiner's findings establish the official causes of death, but the reason the helicopter crashed remains unresolved.