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| Cornwall speedboat crash: 'Kill cord' key to investigation | Cornwall speedboat crash: 'Kill cord' key to investigation |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police investigating the deaths of a father and his daughter in a speedboat accident in Cornwall have said a "kill cord" device is a key focus. | Police investigating the deaths of a father and his daughter in a speedboat accident in Cornwall have said a "kill cord" device is a key focus. |
| A kill cord attaches to the boat's throttle and driver so if the driver goes overboard the engine cuts out. | A kill cord attaches to the boat's throttle and driver so if the driver goes overboard the engine cuts out. |
| BSkyB sales boss Nick Milligan, 51, and his eight-year-old daughter Emily were thrown from the boat in the Camel Estuary, off Padstow, on Sunday. | BSkyB sales boss Nick Milligan, 51, and his eight-year-old daughter Emily were thrown from the boat in the Camel Estuary, off Padstow, on Sunday. |
| Four other family members struck by the boat were taken to hospital. | Four other family members struck by the boat were taken to hospital. |
| Police said Mr Milligan's 39-year-old wife Victoria and their four-year-old son Kit remain in hospital with "serious, potentially life-changing injuries", while their two other daughters Amber, 12, and Olivia, 10, suffered minor injuries in the accident. | |
| The injured family members were hit by the 8m (26ft)-long Cobra rigid inflatable boat (rib) - which can reach speeds of about 50mph (80km/h) - while it was going round in circles. | The injured family members were hit by the 8m (26ft)-long Cobra rigid inflatable boat (rib) - which can reach speeds of about 50mph (80km/h) - while it was going round in circles. |
| The boat, which belongs to the family, who are from Wandsworth in south London, was stopped after a local waterskiing instructor Charlie Toogood jumped on board. | The boat, which belongs to the family, who are from Wandsworth in south London, was stopped after a local waterskiing instructor Charlie Toogood jumped on board. |
| Mr Milligan had been managing director of Sky's advertising sales division, Sky Media, since 2004. | Mr Milligan had been managing director of Sky's advertising sales division, Sky Media, since 2004. |
| Fitting the kill cord has been standard practice by manufacturers for many years, said Richard Falk, training manager and chief examiner at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). | Fitting the kill cord has been standard practice by manufacturers for many years, said Richard Falk, training manager and chief examiner at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). |
| "It is possible for the operator, the driver of the boat, to connect the kill cord to the throttle so the engine will work but they don't connect it to themselves. | "It is possible for the operator, the driver of the boat, to connect the kill cord to the throttle so the engine will work but they don't connect it to themselves. |
| "If they then move away from that throttle or steering position the engine won't cut out," he said. | "If they then move away from that throttle or steering position the engine won't cut out," he said. |
| 'Heroic efforts' | 'Heroic efforts' |
| He said he could not comment on the Padstow incident, but where a kill cord was not operating properly and a driver went overboard the prospect of a power boat turning in circles as it did in the Padstow tragedy was a rare "worst case scenario". | He said he could not comment on the Padstow incident, but where a kill cord was not operating properly and a driver went overboard the prospect of a power boat turning in circles as it did in the Padstow tragedy was a rare "worst case scenario". |
| Police and coastguards praised "brave and heroic" efforts made by Mr Toogood and other local people to rescue the family. | Police and coastguards praised "brave and heroic" efforts made by Mr Toogood and other local people to rescue the family. |
| Mr Toogood, from Camel Ski School, leapt on to the runaway speedboat and brought it under control after going alongside in another vessel. | Mr Toogood, from Camel Ski School, leapt on to the runaway speedboat and brought it under control after going alongside in another vessel. |
| He has declined to talk about the incident. | He has declined to talk about the incident. |
| Matt Pavitt, coastguard sector manager for North Cornwall, said: "Without doubt, without [Mr Toogood's] intervention, we could have been dealing with a far more serious situation." | |
| Supt Jim Colwell, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said a mechanical examination of the boat had taken place, carried out by forensic experts and Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspectors to identify the cause of the "sad and tragic" incident. | Supt Jim Colwell, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said a mechanical examination of the boat had taken place, carried out by forensic experts and Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspectors to identify the cause of the "sad and tragic" incident. |