Outback Wrangler star Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson’s widow Dani speaks out in wake of Matt Wright’s guilty verdict
Families of chopper crash tragedy speak out in wake of Outback Wrangler verdict: ‘The law can be a great equaliser. It doesn’t matter how famous you are, how much money you have, or how many Instagram followers you collect’
Two Territory families decimated by a catastrophic chopper crash have celebrated an Aussie reality television star being held accountable for an attempted cover-up.
On Friday Netflix and Apple TV star Matt Wright was found guilty of two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the helicopter crash that killed his co-star Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson and critically injured his pilot Seb Robinson on February 28, 2022.
Three and a half years after her husband’s death, Dani Wilson celebrated the “significant step forward” in her family’s quest for justice and answers.
“This has never been about theatrics, inside or outside of the courtroom,” Ms Wilson said.
“It has been about the conviction of an individual who attempted to pervert the course of justice, and in doing so denied a complete, thorough and unimpeded investigation into the crash.
“An investigation that could have provided my two sons with the answers they so much deserve.”
Holding back tears, but with her hands shaking as she addressed the media, Ms Wilson said she only hoped that “no other family has to endure the ongoing heartbreak that we have”.
“We are now approaching the fourth Father’s Day that my two young sons are facing without their dad,” she said.
“Once again there will be an empty seat at the table — a constant reminder of all that has been taken from us.
“That is our reality, and it is a pain we live with every single day.
“It does not go away.”
Ms Wilson said she respected the decision handed down by the court on Friday, but acknowledged it did not close the painful process that has engulfed her life for the past three and a half years.
On Friday, Zac Chellingworth read a statement on behalf of his brother, Seb Robinson who was left a paraplegic with a traumatic brain injury as a result of the crash.
Mr Robinson said he carried the pain and grief of losing his mate everyday, saying “it will never leave me”, while learning to live his life with these “devastating injuries”
“Those wounds made worse by the defendant’s cover-up, designed to bury the truth about the crash,” he said.
“My family also faces a malicious and sustained campaign of lies aimed at destroying my reputation and that of my family.
“The law can be a great equaliser. It doesn’t matter how famous you are, how much money you have, or how many Instagram followers you collect.
“The jury saw the truth about the cover-up.”
Mr Robinson said while Wright has faced some “accountability”, he also believed that Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had “conducted themselves poorly”.
Ms Wilson has sued both the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Wright in the Federal Court, alleging his failure to comply with its aviation laws and conditions “caused or materially contributed to” her husband’s death.
She claims CASA should never have approved the method of egg extraction under Wright’s licence, in which Mr Wilson was slung under a chopper and lowered into active crocodile nests.
She has also alleged Wright also failed to take reasonable precautions, including by taking steps “to ensure that Helibrook had in place an appropriate safety culture and appropriate systems, practices and procedures”.
Wright has denied he failed to take reasonable precautions and denies any negligence by himself or Helibrook, and maintained that he was not liable for the actions by Mr Wilson and Mr Robinson as independent contractors.
Ms Wilson also flagged that Wright still faced outstanding WorkSafe charges, a civil claim in the Federal court and a potential coronial inquest into her husband’s death.
Wright has also said he will fight the charges and intends to launch an appeal for the verdict.
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Originally published as Outback Wrangler star Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson’s widow Dani speaks out in wake of Matt Wright’s guilty verdict
