Two years ago, Outback Wrangler Matt Wright was a shoulder to cry on for Danielle Wilson as she attended her husband Chris “Willow” Wilson’s funeral.
But today there was no love lost, as the Netflix star faced off with his best mate’s widow in the Federal Court in Sydney, where she is suing him over the fatal crash that claimed her husband’s life.
It’s been two years since Wilson died when the chopper he was hanging from crashed while collecting croc eggs in the Top End.
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In that time, there have been several court cases, the latest of which involves Mrs Wilson, who is suing Wright, his helicopter company and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for psychological harm caused by alleged “wrongful acts or omissions” that caused or contributed to her husband’s death.
She wants to freeze Wright’s assets, including his Northern Territory safari camp, which offers outback adventures in the top end, for top dollar.
“It’s not going to bring our mate back, is it?” Wright said outside court today.
Last November, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found Wright’s downed chopper had likely crashed because it ran out of fuel.
CASA’s processes around managing the risks of crocodile egg-collecting missions also came under scrutiny.
Wright still has several battles ahead of him.
He’ll be back in Darwin local court in two weeks fighting charges of destroying and fabricating evidence after the crash.
In the Supreme Court later this year, he will stand trial on the more serious charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Watch the full video in the player above.