Grant Adamson, a member of one of Malibu's founding families, died Tuesday in a hot air balloon crash in Switzerland, where he was vacationing with his family.
The 55-year-old Adamson's wife, Terry, also 55, suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, as did their daughters, aged 24 and 20, according to Swiss media reports.
The balloon apparently struck an electric power line while trying to land near the Swiss town of Montbovon and plummeted 165 feet. The 65-year-old balloon pilot was seriously injured in the roughly 8:30 a.m. crash, according to local news reports. The crash occurred at the end of a two-hour flight that began in the popular ballooning town of Chateau-d'Oex.
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Adamson was a member of the Pepperdine University Crest Advisory Board, which includes university donors and supporters and sponsors various community projects and events.
The university's Crest Associates executive director, Heidi Bernard, sent an email to board members today, saying, "With a very sad heart, I regret to inform you that that we learned this morning of the death of Grant Adamson and the severe injury to his wife and daughters in a hot air balloon crash in Switzerland while on vacation. We will keep you apprised to the status of his family as we know more.''
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-City News Service
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