Speedboat accident in Padstow kills father and daughter
A 51-year-old man and his 8-year-old daughter have been killed and four other members of the same family injured in a speedboat accident in the Camel Estuary near Padstow harbour.
The man has now been formally identified and named as Nicholas Milligan, from Wandsworth in London. Nick Milligan was a television sales executive for Sky. His daughter has not yet been named.
The police, ambulance service and HM Coastguard were called out shortly before 4pm on Sunday 5 May to attend the scene.
The boat, owned by the family, is reported by witnesses to have been travelling fast and out of control. All six people aboard are thought to have been thrown from the boat into the water. The vessel then continued to circle in the same area until a local man - named as Charlie Toogood - was able to jump aboard and get the boat under control. His brave actions have been praised as heroic.
The four injured people are a 39-year-old woman, a four-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and 12. They were flown to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital where they are being treated for leg injuries of varying severity. Police say that these include both life changing and life threatening injuries.
Det Supt Jim Colwell of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends who are affected by this tragic incident. I'd like to thank the members of the public who assisted with the rescue of the individuals in the water yesterday and all of the emergency services for safely and swiftly moving the casualties to Derriford. Everyone's assistance undoubtedly saved lives."
A joint investigation between police and coastguard is ongoing into the cause of the incident.
In a press conference held at Bodmin police station this afternoon, Mr Milligan's brother, Max Milligan, paid tribute to an "extremely loving father, husband, son and brother, who doted on his family".
"As children and teenagers, we spent many summers and New Year's Eves in Cornwall," he said.
"That he and my delightful niece died in their favourite place at the end of a gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend provides us with a tiny glimmer of light."
Max Milligan also described how his brother had built his "dream home" in the area.
Tributes to Nick Milligan have been paid by industry colleagues. He was managing director of Sky Media, the company's sales divisison.
Supt Jim Colwell praised the efforts made by members of the public to assist the family: "If people hadn't come to their assistance in the manner they did, I'm confident that this incident would have been far worse in terms of the overall death toll" he said.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency issued the following statement on Sunday evening:
"Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted at 15.48 this afternoon reporting that six people had been thrown from a speedboat approximately half a mile off Padstow in the Camel Estuary. It was reported by members of the public that the boat was out of control and had struck a number of those in the water.
"The RNLI lifeboats from Rock and Padstow along with the search and rescue helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chivenor were sent to the scene. St. Merryn, Newquay and Polzeath Coastguard Rescue Teams have also been involved.
"We do not believe at this time any other vessels, kayaks or people were involved in this incident, other than those that had fallen from the speedboat."
Police are continuing to investigate the incident and interview key witnesses. They report that a mechanical inspection of the boat has taken place in an effort to understand what led to the tragedy.
Police are appealing for anyone with photos or video footage to contact them.
The family has asked for privacy at this time.
