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| Cornwall speedboat deaths: Mother relives final moments | Cornwall speedboat deaths: Mother relives final moments |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A woman whose husband and daughter were killed in a speedboat accident has relived the last moment she saw them. | A woman whose husband and daughter were killed in a speedboat accident has relived the last moment she saw them. |
| Victoria Milligan said it felt like "hitting a wall" when the boat threw her, her husband and their four children into the water. | Victoria Milligan said it felt like "hitting a wall" when the boat threw her, her husband and their four children into the water. |
| Emily Milligan, eight, and her father Nick died on 5 May 2013. | Emily Milligan, eight, and her father Nick died on 5 May 2013. |
| The inquest, held in Truro, heard Mrs Milligan was at the helm when the accident happened in the Camel Estuary near Padstow, Cornwall. | The inquest, held in Truro, heard Mrs Milligan was at the helm when the accident happened in the Camel Estuary near Padstow, Cornwall. |
| The family, from Wandsworth, south west London, had been staying at their holiday home in the area when tragedy struck. | The family, from Wandsworth, south west London, had been staying at their holiday home in the area when tragedy struck. |
| 'Stay together' | |
| The hearing was told Mrs Milligan, who had been trained in using a powerboat, was not wearing a kill cord which would have stopped the engine when they were thrown overboard. | |
| She told the inquest: "Nick was telling us to stay together. The boat was going around us very fast. | She told the inquest: "Nick was telling us to stay together. The boat was going around us very fast. |
| "I swam towards the beach. The boat hit me in my chest and I saw lots of blood. | "I swam towards the beach. The boat hit me in my chest and I saw lots of blood. |
| "I knew Kit [her son] had also been injured and said 'I want to go home'. I realised I needed to get out of the water. I did not know where anybody else was." | "I knew Kit [her son] had also been injured and said 'I want to go home'. I realised I needed to get out of the water. I did not know where anybody else was." |
| Mrs Milligan said while still in the boat her husband reached across her to pull down on the steering wheel and simultaneously pushed up the throttle. | Mrs Milligan said while still in the boat her husband reached across her to pull down on the steering wheel and simultaneously pushed up the throttle. |
| She told the inquest: "He reached over with his right hand and put the wheel down. With his left hand he slightly jerked up the throttle. | She told the inquest: "He reached over with his right hand and put the wheel down. With his left hand he slightly jerked up the throttle. |
| "That's when we all fell out - it was like hitting a wall. It all happened very quickly." | "That's when we all fell out - it was like hitting a wall. It all happened very quickly." |
| Mrs Milligan said she swam towards the harbour with her son. The two other children, Amber, 12, and Olivia, 11, suffered minor injuries. | Mrs Milligan said she swam towards the harbour with her son. The two other children, Amber, 12, and Olivia, 11, suffered minor injuries. |
| The inquest heard the last time she saw her husband he was in the water shouting at the other three children to stay in the middle. | The inquest heard the last time she saw her husband he was in the water shouting at the other three children to stay in the middle. |
| The inquest heard a written statement from witness Jason Williams who described the inevitability of the fatal accident once the family were in the water. | |
| Mr Williams, who was on the shore, said he first heard "laughing and screaming of fun and enjoyment" before the family were thrown from the speedboat. | |
| He saw the boat go over one of the group before continuing to circle the others. | |
| He said: "I could see what was going to happen but could not do anything to prevent it. | |
| "The group was possibly holding on to one another. I saw the boat go over the group of five and heard the engine cough and splutter." | |
| James Beale, who was on the beach in Padstow, told the inquest he believed the family were thrown overboard after their boat hit its own wake. | |
| He said: "I saw the boat hit its own wake and I saw all the people in the boat being jettisoned out with a surprising amount of force." | |
| The director of a watersports school told the inquest how he eventually stopped the speedboat which continued to circle. | |
| Charles Toogood, director of the Camel Ski School, drove alongside the boat in the water and trailed a rope to snag the propeller. | |
| Mr Toogood said the kill cord was still attached to the ignition when he boarded. | |
| The inquest also heard evidence from two kayakers, James Anderson and his daughter Leigh Anderson who paddled to the scene to help the family. | |
| Miss Anderson said: "We could hear screaming and shouting over the sound of the engine. | |
| "One of the girls was screaming repeatedly 'My daddy's dead'." | |
| 'Unconscious almost immediately' | |
| Earlier the hearing learned Emily Milligan was probably unconscious when she was hit by a propeller. | Earlier the hearing learned Emily Milligan was probably unconscious when she was hit by a propeller. |
| Home Office pathologist Russell Delaney told the inquest it was "highly likely" she was unconscious after being ejected from the speedboat. | Home Office pathologist Russell Delaney told the inquest it was "highly likely" she was unconscious after being ejected from the speedboat. |
| He said Mr Milligan died from a head injury after being thrown overboard. | He said Mr Milligan died from a head injury after being thrown overboard. |
| Mr Delaney said: "I would have expected him to be rendered unconscious almost immediately with death coming shortly afterwards." | Mr Delaney said: "I would have expected him to be rendered unconscious almost immediately with death coming shortly afterwards." |
| Company director Toby Courtauld, who saw the accident, told the inquest: "The boat was going quite slowly with the tide then it accelerated and did a very sharp right turn whereupon I saw everybody come out of the boat. | Company director Toby Courtauld, who saw the accident, told the inquest: "The boat was going quite slowly with the tide then it accelerated and did a very sharp right turn whereupon I saw everybody come out of the boat. |
| "I saw it rise up on to its side and then everybody came out. | "I saw it rise up on to its side and then everybody came out. |
| "The ejection from the boat was very aggressive - they flew out." | "The ejection from the boat was very aggressive - they flew out." |