Personal injury lawyer Steve Barnes, whose law firm Cellino & Barnes was known on two coasts for his eye-catching TV jingle, was killed on Friday in a small plane crash in the ‘western New York
Barnes, a registered pilot, died with his niece, Elizabeth Barnes, his former legal partner Ross Cellino said in a statement after the crash
« It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic death of Steve Barnes in a plane crash Steve and I worked together for many years in our firm. He has always been a fearless advocate for his clients ”, we read in Cellino’s statement“ His death is a major loss for the legal community ”
The single-engine Socata TBM-700 crashed at around 11:45 a.m. in a wooded area near Pembroke, New York, authorities said, as it neared the end of a flight from Manchester , New Hampshire
The plane was registered with a company that shares an address with Cellino & Barnes, according to records
Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron told reporters there were no survivors in the crash, saying a man and woman were killed The victims were not identified by the police
Neighbors described the plane making a loud, moaning noise, then falling in a wooded area, Sheron said
Cellino & Barnes started out as a small business in Buffalo, but has become well known in New York and beyond for its ubiquitous billboard and television advertising
His old-fashioned jingle, in which the law firm’s phone number was set to song, was the subject of a sketch on Saturday Night Live and other jokes from late-night hosts. party for years Broadway actors in 2018 posted viral videos of themselves singing the jingle in what has been dubbed the « Cellino & Barnes Challenge »
The firm’s top attorneys, Barnes and partner Ross Cellino, have appeared in the commercials together but have argued in recent years and clashed in court
Cellino said Barnes is survived by his three children and longtime partner Ellen Sturm, who is also a lawyer at the firm
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the cause of the crash NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said the agency would release its initial report within seven to 10 days
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Cellino and Barnes
World News – United States – Steve Barnes of Cellino & Barnes law firm dies in plane crash in western New York
