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Padstow speedboat deaths: 'Kill cord not used by driver' | Padstow speedboat deaths: 'Kill cord not used by driver' |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The driver of a speedboat that crashed killing a father and daughter was not wearing a safety cord which could have stopped the engine, investigators say. | The driver of a speedboat that crashed killing a father and daughter was not wearing a safety cord which could have stopped the engine, investigators say. |
Nick Milligan, 51, and daughter Emily, eight, were killed after they and the rest of their family were thrown out of their vessel near Padstow in Cornwall. | Nick Milligan, 51, and daughter Emily, eight, were killed after they and the rest of their family were thrown out of their vessel near Padstow in Cornwall. |
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the unnamed driver was not using the vessel's kill cord. | The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the unnamed driver was not using the vessel's kill cord. |
The cord clips the driver to the boat and cuts the engine if they fall out. | The cord clips the driver to the boat and cuts the engine if they fall out. |
Runaway boat | Runaway boat |
Investigators still do not know why all six members of the Milligan family were flipped out of their speedboat over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. | Investigators still do not know why all six members of the Milligan family were flipped out of their speedboat over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. |
But the engine continued running and "as the boat circled, it ran over the family in the water a number of times", said the initial MAIB report. | But the engine continued running and "as the boat circled, it ran over the family in the water a number of times", said the initial MAIB report. |
BSkyB executive Mr Milligan and his daughter Emily were killed. | BSkyB executive Mr Milligan and his daughter Emily were killed. |
His wife Victoria, 39, had her left leg amputated below the knee. | His wife Victoria, 39, had her left leg amputated below the knee. |
Mrs Milligan and their four-year-old son Kit will need further surgery. | Mrs Milligan and their four-year-old son Kit will need further surgery. |
They have been transferred from Derriford Hospital in Plymouth to a hospital in London. | They have been transferred from Derriford Hospital in Plymouth to a hospital in London. |
The Milligans' two elder daughters, Amber and Olivia, received minor injuries in the accident. | The Milligans' two elder daughters, Amber and Olivia, received minor injuries in the accident. |
The runaway boat was brought under control by water skiing instructor Charlie Toogood who leapt from his own boat into the craft to turn off its engine. | The runaway boat was brought under control by water skiing instructor Charlie Toogood who leapt from his own boat into the craft to turn off its engine. |
A statement from the Milligan family, who own a holiday home at Daymer Bay near Padstow, said: "We are grateful for the continued support of our family and friends and the good wishes we have received from the public." | |
Boat owners are not obliged by law to use a kill cord but accident investigators hope the case will encourage more of them to do so. | Boat owners are not obliged by law to use a kill cord but accident investigators hope the case will encourage more of them to do so. |
A man whose son was killed by a runaway speedboat 13 years ago said the Padstow deaths showed new laws were needed to make the cords mandatory. | |
Tristan Douglas-Johnson, from Dorchester in Dorset, died at the Southampton International Boat Show in 2000 when he was thrown from a speedboat and run over as it circled in the water. The pilot was not wearing a cord. | |
His father Heddon Johnson said people needed to take the cords seriously because they "can save lives in this sort of situation". | |
Mr Johnson, chairman of Weymouth Rowing Club, said: "Even if a law making it compulsory is hard to enforce, it will make people think twice before they set out." |