Sea World helicopter crash: Heartbreaking update on boys fighting for life in Queensland hospital

A man whose wife and stepson were seriously injured after a mid-air collision between two Sea World helicopters has told of his horror as he watched the tragedy unfold.

Neil de Silva’s wife, Winnie, 33, and their nine-year-old son Leon, were among three passengers who suffered serious injuries on the Gold Coast on Monday after the helicopter they were flying collided with another and crashed. crashed seconds after takeoff.

The disaster claimed the lives of pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, Sydney’s mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, and British couple Ron, 65, and Dianne Hughes, 57.

Leon, who arrived in Australia last year to join his mother, was placed in an induced coma at Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

He is one of two boys fighting for his life in the hospital, along with Mrs Tadros’s 10-year-old son Nicholas.

Leon’s heartbroken stepfather revealed Wednesday that Leon’s condition remains a major concern.

“My wife and stepson were injured in the helicopter crash at SeaWorld yesterday while on holiday in Geelong,” De Silva wrote on a fundraising page.

“Luckily they are both alive but they have a lot of surgeries ahead of them which means the family will have to stay here on the Gold Coast and I won’t be able to work again.”

The other survivor on board was Ms Tadros’s 10-year-old son, Nicholas, who is on life support at Gold Coast University Hospital, where he has already undergone four surgeries.

Nicholas’s grieving father, Simon, watched helplessly as his wife died in the tragedy.

Mr Tadros told The Courier-Mail on Wednesday that: “Ask everyone to pray for my son that he wakes up and makes a good recovery.”

‘He is on life support in a critical condition. So please he needs all the prayers he can get,” Tadros posted Tuesday night.

‘Please keep your prayers strong, may God take him back to me and have a good recovery.’

Friends and neighbors in Glenmore Park in western Sydney have paid tribute, including local state MP Tanya Davies.

“Very often, tragedies like these seem so far away to us, but this devastating accident reminds us how precious and fragile life can be,” he wrote.

Vanessa’s son, Nicholas, remains in critical condition at the hospital. I pray for him and all the other surviving victims at this time. I am thinking especially of Simon Tadros, Vanessa’s husband and Nicholas’s father, who was on the ground at the time of the accident. He is next to his son in the hospital.

Life is precious and fragile. Treasure and cherish your loved ones every day.

Nicholas’ guardian, Jenny Jordan, also paid tribute.

‘What an absolute tragedy. Our beautiful Tadros family, Aced It Tutoring is feeling the pain of this loss. Keep your loved ones close.

A online fundraising has raised nearly $5,000.

“We are praying for a miracle that our Nicky, (as he is jokingly known) can be returned to his grieving father Simon,” said family friend Rochelle Fajloun.

If by the grace of God, Nicky survives his catastrophic injuries, he will have a long and intense recovery period. Please keep him in your prayers.’

“Simon was a harrowing witness as the accident unfolded and is totally devastated.

“With all the emotional pain that death brings, it can also bring a significant financial burden. Any donation that can help the family through this difficult period will be greatly appreciated.

“Please keep this genuinely wonderful and much-loved family in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for a life like they never expected.”

Neil de Silva broke down when he provided a heartbreaking update on his stepson Leon and his wife Winnie on Wednesday morning.

The Geelong family had traveled to the Gold Coast for a ‘cheap’ holiday when they yelled the couple a 10-minute pleasure flight while visiting the theme park.

Mr de Silva’s wife remains in intensive care on the Gold Coast while their son Leon fights for his life in Brisbane.

“Leon is the worst right now, he’s in an induced coma due to head and brain trauma,” he told the Today show on Wednesday.

“Our main concern is Leon when they wake him up today and say he’s fine.”

“I’m just doing what I can for them, I have no other choice.”

Mr de Silva watched in horror as his loved ones plummeted to the ground moments after his helicopter

“I thought they were dead, I couldn’t imagine anyone surviving,” he recalled.

The pilot of the second helicopter, Michael James, 52, and four of his five passengers suffered shrapnel injuries when the cockpit was struck by the main rotor of the other aircraft.

Three of the six people from the second helicopter, including the pilot, are still in hospital, a Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed.

The passengers on that second helicopter included a woman from Western Australia and two New Zealand couples in their 40s who were traveling together.