Mother in Cornwall speedboat tragedy has leg amputated

Updated
Mother in Cornwall speed boat tragedy has leg amputated
Mother in Cornwall speed boat tragedy has leg amputated

The mother hurt in a tragic speedboat accident in Cornwall two weeks ago that claimed the lives of her husband and daughter has had her leg amputated.

Nick and Victoria Milligan, from Wandsworth in South London, were on a Bank Holiday weekend away in Padstow, Cornwall, with their four children when their boat ran out of control, throwing them into the water and running them over with its propellor.

Sky TV executive Nick, 51, and the couple's eight-year-old daughter Emily died in the accident.

At the time, it was reported that Victoria, 39, and her four-year-old son, Kit, suffered "life-changing injuries" and extensive damage to their legs.

And now a family statement has confirmed that Victoria has had her left leg amputated below the knee, reports The Sun.

Mother in Cornwall speed boat tragedy has leg amputated
Mother in Cornwall speed boat tragedy has leg amputated

Accident investigators also confirmed on Thursday that a safety 'kill cord' designed to stop the boat when unplugged from the ignition was not attached to its driver, who is yet to be identified.

However, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said at this stage it was stll "not clear" how the family were thrown off their rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).

According to the Daily Mail, the report said: "At this early stage in the investigation, the mechanism that led to the family being ejected from the RHIB into the water, is not clear.

"The RHIB was fitted with a kill cord but this was not attached to the driver at the time of the accident.

"Consequently, when the driver was ejected from the boat, the kill cord did not operate to stop the engine and the RHIB continued to circle out of control, and at speed.

"As the RHIB circled, it ran over the family in the water a number of times, leading to the deaths and injuries. A few minutes later a local boatman [Charlie Toogood] was able to board the RHIB and bring it under control before further people were hurt."

The family statement said that Victoria and Kit have both been transferred to a London hospital and will both "require further surgery", while daughters Amber, 12, and Olivia, 10, have been discharged.

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