A recent helicopter crash on Hawaii's Molokai Island claimed the lives of newlywed nuclear engineers from Pittsburgh, married less than a week. A tragic loss for both families and for Westinghouse Electric, where they were employed, this incident reinforces the horror of wrongful death.

Naturally, victims of these types of accidents spend little or no time thinking about the possibility of tragic events. Married at St. Mary of the Mount Church in Pittsburgh on November 5, 2011, the last thing on the minds of the victims was probably impending disaster. They were simply enjoying their wonderful honeymoon.

On a common 45-minute aerial tour of west Maui and Molokai, the newlyweds and their helicopter crashed around midday in normal, albeit cloudy, weather conditions. All four passengers and the pilot were killed in the crash. The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC-130, crashed into a hillside, after which it burst into flames.

Although Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) professionals arrived on scene within 48 hours, a thorough investigation can take months to determine the cause of an accident. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters ownership noted that the aircraft was less than one year old.

The pilot was as well respected as the Pittsburgh couple, receiving many caring condolences on his Facebook page after the accident. Many, including spokespersons for the company, praised his flying skill and his "memorable tours" of the west Maui-Molokai area. Blue Hawaiian sponsors around 160,000 such tours annually, encompassing all the Hawaiian Islands.

This recent incident reinforces the reality that wrongful death can occur at any time in even seemingly harmless situations.

Source: ABC News, "Newlyweds in Hawaii Crash Were Pa. Engineers," Audrey McAvoy, Nov. 11, 2011