Pa. reporter sues over 2017 plunge into river

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania reporter has filed suit over injuries he says he sustained during a promotional stunt two years ago in which he plunged 22 feet into the Allegheny River in a homemade flying machine.

The lawsuit by KDKA-TV reporter Dave Crawley names EQT Three Rivers Regatta, Red Bull and a marketing agency. It stems from an August 2017 media piece before the Red Bull Flugtag event in which teams in homemade devices “fly” from a pier into a river. The suit contends Crawley was left with spleen and diaphragm injuries as well as a traumatic brain injury.

The regatta didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment; Red Bull said the event dates back to 1991 and “the safety of spectators and participants is always our primary concern.”