Actor Sean Astin sued

The widow of a photographer killed in a helicopter crash while filming "The Final Season" is suing actor Sean Astin, the movie's producers and the pilot, among others.

Kathryn Schlotzhauer alleges that the June 30 crash in eastern Iowa could have been avoided if producers and others involved in the film had scouted the area and noted the power lines that brought the helicopter down.

Her husband -- Roland Schlotzhauer, 50, of Lenexa, Kan. -- was filming a parade scene when the helicopter crashed into a cornfield, killing the photographer and seriously injuring producer Tony Wilson, 49, and the pilot.

Both survivors are among 19 defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit. The suit also names Wilson's special-effects firm, headquartered in Des Moines, and the rural electric cooperative that owns the power lines.

The photographer's widow is seeking unspecified compensation for his death, as well as $50,000 in punitive damages, said her attorney, Gary Robb.

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