MONTBOVON, Switzerland, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Police said they are investigating a hot air balloon crash in Switzerland that killed a member of one of Malibu, Calif.'s founding families.
Grant Adamson, 55, was the patriarch of a family that donated the land on which Pepperdine University sits.
Adamson died when the balloon struck an electric power line while attempting to land near Montbovon, Switzerland, KNBC, Los Angeles, reported.
His wife, Terry, and the couple's two daughters also suffered life-threatening injuries.
All three women were transported to an area hospital, KNBC said.
The two daughters both underwent surgery and are expected to recover while their mother is breathing through a ventilator.
The Adamsons, who once owned much of Malibu, donated the land to Pepperdine in the 1970s.
The accident added to a recent series of crashes overseas. Two months ago, three tourists were killed in Turkey in a hot air balloon and 19 others were killed in February when their hot air balloon caught fire over Egypt, the Los Angeles Times said.
But the crashes are relatively rare in the United States.
Of the 760 accidents since 1964, just 67 have been fatal, the Times said.
