In a case that highlights the sharp legal and safety stakes when drones operate near crowds, a Queens woman filed suit earlier this year after being struck by a DJI drone during a Fourth of July drone-and-fireworks display in New York.
Cherika Sukhnandan says she was watching the Macy’s Independence Day show from a fourth-floor balcony in 2023 when a drone veered off course and struck her. Her complaint says the collision caused “severe shock and mental anguish” and significant physical injury that she alleges are permanent.
Sukhnandan’s complaint names a wide set of defendants: the City of New York; Macy’s and various Macy’s corporate entities; event producers and pyrotechnic firms; broadcast partners; production companies and named individuals; and unnamed drone operators. The suit alleges the parties planned, controlled, inspected, repaired and otherwise managed the drone operations connected to the show — and failed to prevent what the complaint calls a “rogue drone strike.”
The lawsuit further accuses organizers of failing to ensure safe drone operations, hiring competent personnel, and implementing adequate safeguards to protect spectators. The city and corporate defendants have denied responsibility or argued the matter involves other parties; the City of New York also contends Sukhnandan assumed some risk by attending a major public fireworks event.
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According to The Independent, Comcast and NBCUniversal responded last month with a 30-page filing, demanding that Sukhnandan provide all details regarding her claims, including a complete statement of her injuries, a list of all medical expenses, dates of her incapacitation, loss of earnings, photographs, video, and witness statements.
Sukhnandan, meanwhile, is seeking money damages to be determined in court. You can read her complaint in detail here:
This Macy’s drone show case arrives amid another recent courtroom fight stemming from a drone show mishap in Florida. In that case, a 7-year-old boy suffered severe injuries after drones fell into the crowd during a Lake Eola holiday drone show. His family has filed suit against the City of Orlando and companies tied to the production. That drone allegedly breached safety boundaries and hit the child in the face and chest, causing permanent injuries that required open-heart surgery. A preliminary investigation found shortcomings such as misalignment of the flight path and improperly set geo-fencing, shrinking the safety buffer for spectators.
For drone pilots and show operators, these cases underscore several practical risks: software or mission-file errors, improper geofencing or flight-path alignment, inadequate pre-flight checks, and decision-making under pressure during live shows. When drones are flown over or near spectators, redundancy, robust testing, conservative safety buffers, and thorough operator vetting aren’t optional; they’re essential to prevent harm and avoid costly litigation.
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