Speedboat Accident Leaves Two Dead, Four Injured In England

A speedboat accident off the coast town of Padstow in Cornwall, England killed a father and his daughter on Sunday as four other family members were injured. Nicholas Milligan, 51-year-old executive at the British television network BSkyB, was pronounced dead at the scene along with his eight-year-old daughter due to the horrific crash.

His 39-year-old wife, a four-year-old son, and two girls aged 10 and 12 were also thrown from the speedboat and immediately airlifted to the hospital with multiple injures. The accident occurred around 4 p.m. in the Camel estuary off the Cornish coast and was immediately followed by a major rescue effort.

The local authorities made a statement after the crash and superintendent Jim Colwell of Devon and Cornwall police described the survivors’ injuries as “life threatening,” and “serious, potentially life changing.”

According to ABC News, the speedboat went out of control and threw all passengers into the water before continually spinning in a circle and striking Milligan and his daughter. Water skiing instructor Charlie Toogood was able to bring the boat to a rest by jumping aboard and cutting the engine.

Witness Simon Lewins was walking his dog nearby when the speedboat accident occurred and he told BBC that Toogood is a “hero” for jumping aboard when he did. It is believed that the instructor threw a rope around the propeller to slow down the boat before jumping on and bringing it to a rest.

According to the local police statement by Colwell, a forensic’s team has already began a mechanical examination of the speedboat to determine why it lost control.

During a press conference, Nick’s brother Max Milligan described him as an “extremely loving father, husband, son and brother.” When nearing the end of his statement about the speedboat accident, he said that “he and my delightful niece died in their favorite place at the end of a gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend provides us with a tiny glimmer of light.”

[Image via Alex Proimos]