'Terrified' families sue Matt Wright over 'war zone' airboat crash

'Terrified' families sue Matt Wright over 'war zone' airboat crash that left woman with horrific head injury In short: Two couples are suing Matt Wright for negligence and breaching consumer laws following an airboat crash they say left them "terrified" after being "marooned in crocodile-infested waters" in 2023. Mr Wright, his wife Kaia Wright and the company Top End Safari Camp have denied the allegations as "inflammatory", "unproven" and "not relevant to these proceedings". What's next? The case is due to return to the Federal Court on October 2. Court documents have outlined celebrity croc wrangler Matt Wright's long history of alleged safety breaches in the lead-up to an airboat crash that left two young families "terrified" after being "marooned in crocodile-infested waters". In documents filed with the Federal Court, the families claim the 2023 crash in Bynoe Harbour, west of Darwin, left another passenger with a horrific head injury that gave "the appearance of her face falling off her head". The lawsuit filed by NSW couple Ryan and Philippa Payne and Queenslanders Scott and Bianca McFarlane, on behalf of themselves and each couple's two children, alleges the group suffered physical and psychological injuries as a result of the crash. The families are suing Mr Wright, his wife Kaia Wright and their company, Top End Safari Camp, for negligence, while also claiming the Wrights engaged in unconscionable conduct in breach of Australian consumer laws. According to the documents, the two families had attended the camp for a "crocodile tour" as part of a corporate retreat and were told they would receive earmuffs to block out the noise of the airboat's engine. "Other than that information, the applicants were not given any safety briefing about the crocodile tour," the statement of claim reads. They say they were then directed to the airboat "past two large crocodiles on the edge of the water" and took their seats before its driver, "Anton", took off at high speed, despite the vessel having no seatbelts, functioning radio or first aid kit. When a large tree emerged on the riverbank about 200m ahead, they say Anton continued to speed towards it, with the couples believing he was "joking" and "would swerve at the last moment". The McFarlanes then cradled their children to their chest while the boat crashed into the tree "causing a split" and "attaching the airboat to the tree", while leaving them feeling "like they were in a war zone". The couples say the passenger who suffered the head injury began screaming for her husband, while another woman "was feebly wailing as she drifting [sic] in and out of consciousness". "The applicants were terrified for themselves and their children because they were marooned in crocodile-infested waters in a broken boat," the document reads. "[They were] desperate to get help for [the two women] and themselves, but could not because there was no mobile phone reception, functioning radio, or first aid kit. "The driver of the rescuing airboat called the head camp and said 'We screwed up – there's a big crash, we screwed up'." Crocodile tour 'unconscionable' The couples claim it was "unconscionable" for Mr and Ms Wright to continue to operate the airboat tours as they knew or should have known they posed an "unacceptable risk" to passengers by the time the families boarded the vessel. The statement of claim cites prior safety breaches the couples say resulted from the Wright's previous business operations, including the death of Netflix star Chris "Willow" Wilson after one of Mr Wright's helicopters crashed in Arnhem Land in 2022, rendering pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic. The document alleges Mr Wright had been issued with a "notice of counselling" as early as March 2016 following a string of allegations relating to his helicopter business, including "dangerously flying an unidentified black helicopter in close proximity to another person and others". In September of that year, the document alleges another airboat operated by one of Mr Wright's businesses crashed, injuring a 63-year-old woman and 42-year-old man who were then taken to hospital for treatment. The couples claim the incident, along with "earlier disciplinary history", resulted in the aviation regulator determining Mr Wright "was not a fit and proper person". "You displayed a concerning and repeated disregard for safety in your operation of an aircraft," the statement of claim quotes the regulator's delegate as saying. "By your conduct you have demonstrated a seriously concerning lack of judgement and risk management that cannot be adequately compensated for, however proficient your manual flying skill." Then, during a tour in 2019, the lawsuit alleges another of Mr Wright's airboats lost control and crashed into a tree, throwing the passengers from their seats, with the driver and two passengers later treated in hospital. Allegations 'unproven', 'inflammatory' In their defence filed with the court, the Wrights broadly reject the couples' version of events on the day of the crash and deny Anton was employed by Top End Safari Camp or that the airboat was required to be fitted with seatbelts at the time of the crash. They also argue that the claims made by the couples relating to Mr Wright's history of alleged safety breaches are "inflammatory", "unproven" and "not relevant to these proceedings". The Wrights deny any unconscionable conduct or breach of consumer law and reject any negligence on their part or that of their businesses or employees. The Paynes and McFarlanes are seeking damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages, and the case will return to court on October 2.