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Palm Beach County: Former FPL pilot sues company over injuries

Alleging that he suffered injuries when a bird hit the helicopter he was flying, a former pilot for Florida Power & Light Co. sued the company Tuesday, claiming he had been told the windshield was bird-proof.

John Francis Spatuzzi, a resident of Palm City, was flying seven miles northeast of Palm Beach International Airport in January 2004 when a bird hit the helicopter's windshield, forcing Spatuzzi to make an emergency landing. He also names AgustaWestland Inc., a helicopter design and manufacturing company, as a defendant.

The impact lodged a metal piece between Spatuzzi's eyebrow and eye, and scarring on his face, according to the lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.

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