Steve Barnes of the Cellino & Barnes law firm died in a plane crash

Stephen E., a former partner of one of the country’s most popular personal injury law firms. A small plane, piloted by Barnes, crashed in the upstate of New York on Friday morning, killing him, a passenger and a lawyer. The thing said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the single-engine plane went down in a wooded area near Pembroke, NY, 32 miles east of Buffalo.

Mr. Barnes and his daughter-in-law were the only two people on the plane, and the lawyer spoke of anonymity because he did not have the authority to speak for the Barnes family. Mr. Barnes was 61, and his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Barnes was in her late 20s.

The plane, which was traveling from east to west, went down at 11:46 a.m. and was spotted by residents exploding in some woods near Boys Road, Genesis County Sheriff William A. Sharon Jr. said in a statement. He confirmed that a man and a woman were dead, but did not immediately identify them.

Sheriff Sharon said the DPM700, which can carry up to seven people, will depart New Hampshire at 10:18 a.m. and land on Buffalo within two hours.

Nearly 30 years ago, Mr. Barnes and Rose M. Seleno Jr. founded Seleno & Barnes, a personal injury law firm in buffalo. They made it into a multi-million dollar company that became a household name for sexy jingles on national television. It employed more than 50 lawyers in five offices in New York State, and also had offices in California.

After resolving their legal issues in June, the two former partners began to lead separate companies. It is not clear who will get the rights The former company’s phone number – (800) 888-8888 – is popular in thousands of ads.

Mr. who escaped with three children. Barnes, The company took over the ownership of the satellite office Buffalo and plans to rename his new company, The Barnes, in the coming weeks.

“Steve has been a friend, colleague, partner and mentor to many throughout our company,” Barnes said in a statement, “Steve and Elizabeth will be missed by many.”

On the night of the accident, Mr. Seleno set aside the severity of the recent breakdown. In a statement to the Times, he expressed “deep sorrow” over the deaths of his former colleague and Ms. Barnes.

“He has always been a fearless advocate for his clients,” Mr. Seleno wrote. “His passing is a significant loss to the legal community.”