By Gina Martinez
A Queens-based animal rights lawyer was the sole survivor of a Westhampton Beach plane crash that killed two others, the NTSB said.
The plane, a Ryan Navion F, crashed near Gabreski Airport Sunday at around 11:40 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
Plane owner Richard Rosenthal, 61, of Huntington Station, survived the crash and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remained in stable condition. The two other passengers — flight instructor Arieh Narkunski, 64, of Brooklyn, and the passenger Robert A. Wilkie, 65, of Hempstead, died.
Self-proclaimed “Dog Lawyer” Rosenthal, whose law offices are located in Kew Gardens, is a top animal rights lawyer. According to his website, “Rosenthal is committed to representing the interest of these ‘at risk’ pets, companion animals and shelter animals, the proverbial ‘underdogs.’ Richard Rosenthal works within the legal system and educates others to work within the legal system in new and innovative ways to send society the message that animals are not just property to be disposed of but are sentient beings with inherent rights.”
Rosenthal is also co-founder and general counsel of The Lexus Project, a legal defense for greyhounds and all breeds of dogs, and a member of “Pilots n Paws,” a volunteer non-profit organization where pilots use their own planes to save animals from emergency situations.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
