- . Nick Milligan, 51, senior TV executive, died along with daughter Emily, eight
- . Praised by brother as 'extremely loving father who doted on his family'
- . Wife Victoria and son Kit suffered serious leg injury after speedboat crash
- . Two other daughters suffered minor injuries after being thrown from boat
- . Milligan said that Cornish beach house was 'most treasured possession'
- . Local boatman Charlie Toogood, 32, praised for cutting off boat's engine
- . Accident shows importance of 'kill cord' which stops boat in emergencies
The victims of a horrific speedboat accident in Padstow were today named as senior BSkyB executive Nick Milligan and his eight-year-old daughter Emily.
The rest of the family - wife Victoria and children Amber, Olivia and Kit - are in hospital after being injured when they were thrown from their boat which then ran over them with its propeller.
Victoria and Kit suffered serious and 'life-changing' leg injuries, but Amber and Olivia have suffered only minor injuries.
Mr Milligan's brother Max today paid tribute to 'an extremely loving father and husband, son and brother, who doted on his family'.
He added that it was 'a tiny glimmer of light' to know that the pair died near the Cornish holiday home which the TV executive once described as his 'most treasured possession'.
Father: BSkyB executive Nicholas Milligan, 51, has been named as the man who was killed by a runaway speedboat in Padstow yesterday
Couple: Victoria Milligan, right, is in hospital with three of her other children after they were injured
Tribute: Mr Milligan's brother Max, centre, described the victim as a 'loving father' this afternoon
Press conference: Max Milligan with policeman Jim Colwell and coastguard official Matt Pavitt
Local watersports instructor Charlie Toogood has been hailed as a hero for leaping on to the vessel and stopping its engine before it could injure others in the popular holiday destination.
Coastguards said his ‘incredible seamanship and bravery’ prevented more people being killed in the horrific accident.
Mr Milligan and his daughter were apparently on a Bank Holiday getaway from their home in Wandsworth, South-West London.
His wife Victoria, 39, is in hospital with daughters Amber, 12, and 10-year-old Olivia, as well as her four-year-old son Kit.
The two girls suffered only minor injuries, but Mrs Milligan and Kit suffered 'serious, potentially life-changing injuries', according to Jim Colwell of Devon and Cornwall Police.
He told a press conference this afternoon that the mother and son had received 'serious leg injuries which may result in life-changing implications'.
Tragedy: Watersports instructor Charlie Toogood, left, is believed to have brought a runaway speedboat under control in Padstow after it killed Mr Milligan, right, and his daughter
Instructor: Mr Toogood, 32, intervened to prevent further disaster after the speedboat killed two people
Max Milligan read out a statement at the conference, saying: 'Nick, or Nico as he was known to us, was an extremely loving father and husband, son and brother, who doted on his family.
'As children and teenagers we spent many summers and New Year's Eves at New Polzeath here in Cornwall and a few years ago he built his dream home above Daymer Bay.
'That he and my delightful niece died at their favourite place at the end of a gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend provides us with a tiny glimmer of light.
'I'd like to thank Devon and Cornwall Police and all the staff at Derriford Hospital who have been incredible over the last few days.'
Hundreds of holidaymakers watched in horror as the Milligans' £60,000 speedboat raced round in circles, its propeller slashing the helpless victims and turning the water 'red with blood'.
Mr Toogood heroically leaped on to the runaway boat from another craft in an attempt to prevent more people being hit.
Aftermath: An amateur video showing the empty speedboat out of control at Padstow shortly after the fatal incident
Danger: The boat was completely out of control following the incident in Padstow, Cornwall, on Bank Holiday Sunday
Bravery: The video, filmed from the shore, shows Mr Toogood jumping on to the speedboat
The local harbourmaster Rob Atkinson warned that the tragedy should remind boat owners to ensure that their vessel's 'kill cord' - a safety device which cuts out the engine if the skipper goes overboard - is connected at all times.
'Please, please, please, when you have a boat fitted with a kill cord, make sure the kill cord is operating correctly and make sure it is attached to you because if you go out of the boat, it will stop the engine and it will prevent tragedies like this happening,' Mr Atkinson said.
COULD A KILL CORD HAVE SAVED THE MILLIGANS?
Kill cords are fitted to virtually all small power-driven craft in the UK and Europe.
The cord is designed to shut down the engine in the event of the helmsman, or driver, of a boat going overboard.
One end of the cord is attached either directly to the outboard engine in the case of very small vessel, or where there are separate steering and throttle controls, to the throttle unit itself. The other end is then attached firmly to the driver, usually to their leg or wrist.
Fitting the kill cord has been standard practice by manufacturers for many years and virtually all small power-driven craft - including jet skis - have one, according to Richard Falk, training manager and chief examiner at the Royal Yachting Association.
He said it was possible for a driver of a boat to connect the kill cord to the throttle so that the engine works but then not to connect it to him or herself.
He added that a situation where a kill cord is not operating properly and a driver goes overboard the prospect of a power boat turning in circles was a rare 'worst-case scenario'.
Mr Colwell said that whether or not the Milligans were using a kill cord on their boat would be central to the investigation into the accident.
'Clearly the reasons why the boat didn't stop when it otherwise should have done, when there was nobody left on it, is a key part of our investigation,' he said.
'The kill cord - the presence of, the state of, and how it was attached or otherwise - will be a key focus of our investigation.'
Around 25 police officers have been assigned to the investigation into the accident, and are currently preparing reports for the local coroner.
Friends paid tribute to the Milligan family after the news of the deaths - PR executive Ben Fenton described Mr Milligan as 'one of the kindest, nicest funniest men I have ever met'.
Nigel Walley, managing director of digital media firm Decipher, added: 'Nick Milligan was a wonderful man whom I was proud to call a friend.'
The Milligans owned a beach house in Trebetherick, which is on the other side of the estuary from Padstow.
In an interview in 2011, the father said that the house was his ‘most treasured possession’.
Mr Milligan, who was educated at Millfield School and Reading University, was a veteran television executive who helped to found Channel 5 and rose to become deputy chief executive.
In 2004, he moved to Sky Media, the advertising sales department of BSkyB, where he was managing director until his death.
Sky said in a statement this morning: 'Everyone at Sky is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic accident involving the Milligan family.
'Nick has been a great friend and colleague for many years and his loss will be felt across our company and the industry. Our very deepest sympathies are with his family at this time.'
Home: The house in Wandsworth where the Milligans live when they are not in Cornwall
Peaceful: The estuary at Padstow today in the aftermath of the deadly accident
Mr Colwell said today: '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.'
The RNLI tweeted: 'Our condolences go out to all of those affected by the tragic accident at Padstow yesterday.'
Neighbours in Wandsworth said the community was 'shocked and upset' in the wake of the accident involving 'one of the nicest families in the area.
Family friend Olivia Henderson said today: 'Nick was a nice family man who was great with his kids. He was one of the nicest guys locally. He did a lot in the community.'
She added: 'Little Emily was a sweet little girl. She would be out on the street in her school uniform, playing on her scooter. She was always smiling.'
Mrs Henderson said that Mrs Milligan, originally from the Wirral, was a yoga fanatic who worked as a personal trainer.
Search: Coastguards scour the Padstow shoreline today searching for evidence relating to the crash
Investigation: Police are hoping to determine the cause of the tragic accident suffered by the Milligans
THE £60,000 LUXURY SPEEDBOAT
Rigid inflatable boats, or RIBs, are light-weight vessels made of plastic tubing which are able to travel at remarkable speeds thanks to their onboard motors.
Their hulls are made from a combination of wood and fibreglass, with the sides constructed from strong inflatable plastic.
The Milligans' boat was an eight-metre Cobra, one of the priciest RIBs available at £60,000.
The vessel was fitted with a 300bhp Yamaha engine, enabling it to go up to 70mph, and was large enough to hold all six members of the family.
Despite the boat's deceptively simple design, its well-appointed interior bears comparison with some luxury yachts.
Good Samaritan Mr Toogood, married father of a five-month-old daughter, runs the Camel Ski School, which rents out equipment for holidaymakers as well as offering activities such as water-skiing.
‘Brave man, Charlie Toogood,’ one admirer wrote on Twitter. ‘Respect to Charlie Toogood who leapt aboard that out-of-control speedboat to cut the engine. He deserves a George Medal.’
Dog walker Simon Lewins, from Wadebridge, was around 100 yards from the speedboat as it circled in the water.
He said: ‘We saw a boat coming up the estuary and it seemed to take a right turn. As it took the turn it flopped and the people in the boat went out in the water and then the boat went round in circles and it seemed to come back into the group on three or four occasions.
‘We heard screaming and saw seagulls coming into the water, it wasn’t good. As this happens the boat was taking ever-decreasing circles with nobody in it because they were all in the water and it was slowing and it kept going for 10, 15 minutes.’
Recovery: The speedboat being towed into harbour in the aftermath of the accident yesterday
Harbour: Police and coastguard watch over as the boat is searched by investigators
Hauling in: The boat was loaded onto a trailer as it was taken away by police investigating the tragedy
Matt Pavitt, of the North Cornwall Coastguard, praised locals' efforts to help, saying: 'Thanks to some incredible seamanship and bravery from some locals, they managed to get the boat under control and stop it from causing any further damage or harm.
'From there we were able to locate, recover the various people with injuries working with our colleagues from the ambulance service, Navy and RAF helicopters, two lifeboats and three coastguard teams.'
He told BBC Breakfast: 'This boat is eight metres long with a very, very powerful engine on the back.
'It is going round and round in circles and one of the local boatmen, we understand, was able to get alongside it and somebody actually jumped from one boat to the other to bring the boat under control. So incredible bravery which undoubtedly saved lives.'
Mr Atkinson added: 'There was plenty of scope for it to go wrong. Had he not got it under control who knows what would have happened. He deserves great credit for that. He risked his own life.'
Police at the scene of a boat crash at Padstow harbour where a father and daughter died
The 51-year-old father and his eight-year-old daughter were slain in the horrific incident
Recovered: Police remove the boat to be examined as an investigation was launched into the incident
The four survivors of the accident were flown to Derriford hospital in Plymouth.
It is believed that the boat, named Milly, is a rigid inflatable boat or RIB privately owned by the Milligan family. Speedboats are common sights around the harbour area in the popular tourist destination, nicknamed 'Padstein' because it is home of celebrity chef Rick Stein.
'The water was red, it was terrible. That boat most have hit those poor people at a terrifying speed.'
Witness
Emergency services were scrambled after they received a large number of calls from members of the public who had been standing on the packed harbourside when they saw the 3.50pm yesterday afternoon.
Three RNLI lifeboats were sent to the scene as well as search and rescue helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chievenor.
Witnesses told of the horror of seeing the runaway boat locked into a circling pattern.
One woman who did not want to be named said: 'I saw a helicopter come over us and rushed over to see the commotion and saw two ambulances on the beach, they were working on two people who looked in a lot of trouble.
'The water was red, it was terrible. That boat most have hit those poor people at a terrifying speed.'
Witnesses said a man heroically leapt on to the runaway boat from another craft in an attempt to prevent more people being hit
The rescue helicopter carrying survivors to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
Padstow resident Martin Jenkins, 63, said: 'I heard the helicopter and went over to the estuary and saw the ambulance crews working on a couple of people.
'It was all very frantic. The emergency services acted pretty quickly and everyone was ushered away so we couldn't see any more, it was probably for our own good because it looked a mess, it was pretty nasty.
'It looked terrible, the water was filled with blood like a horror film.'
Saskia Wilce who works on the harbourside wrote on Twitter: 'So horrible seeing the injured people today. The motor thing went funny and flipped the boat so everyone flew out and it started circling them all then went through them.'
Jo Rawlings of the Maritime and Coastguard agency said: '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.
'It is a popular destination and, with the weather being quite pleasant, it was fairly busy.'
Last night the normally bustling harbour was cordoned off by police.
A spokesman for official tourist body Visit Cornwall said: 'Our thoughts are with the injured and bereaved involved in the tragic speed boat accident at Padstow harbour this afternoon.'
Rick Stein and his wife Jill wrote on their Facebook page: 'Our thoughts are with injured and bereaved involved in the tragic accident in Padstow this afternoon.'
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