Victoria Milligan is urging boatowners to wear a kill cord to avoid the fate that befell her husband and daughter
The woman who lost her husband and daughter to a RIB crash in Padstow last year has urged boatowners to wear a kill cord.
Victoria Milligan made the plea ahead of a charity bike ride she is undertaking to raise £300,000 for the RNLI and Child Bereavement UK.
The story of the Milligan family made headlines across the country last year when a boat trip on the Camel Estuary ended in a fatal crash.
Nick Milligan, 51, and his daughter Emily, eight, were both killed and a subsequent MAIB investigation concluded that their lives could have been saved if he had worn a kill cord.
Speaking 13 months after the accident, Mrs Milligan urged boatowners to learn from her painful experience:
“Please always wear a kill cord. Even if you are coming into shore or a pier, always put it on.
“Just be aware you are driving a powerful machine and always have the right training,” she added in an interview with the BBC.
Her fundraising efforts since the crash have already seen £250,000 raised for Cornwall Air Ambulance, and Mrs Milligan is hoping her latest efforts provoke a similar response.
Setting off from Trevose Boat Club in Cornwall today (20 June), the Milligan Charitable Bike Ride 2014 aims to cover 300 miles in three days, with the finish line set at Trinity Fields in London.
Mrs Milligan added: “We wanted to raise money for something tangible and relevant; the money raised will make a real difference and leave lasting legacies in their memory.
“The RNLI is such an incredible and worthwhile charity, they rescued us from the water on that fateful day last May.
“Unless you have been in a trauma situation, you don’t know how invaluable these rescue services are, every minute is vital.”
If the fundraising target is met, then the RNLI will be able to train 150 additional volunteers. To donate, visit the Milligan Bike Ride sponsorship page.
