New York helicopter crash survivor speaks for first time

Jon Swaine Telegraph 10/07/2011 14:36

A British tourist who survived a helicopter crash in New York that killed his stepdaughter and left his wife fighting for her life has spoken for the first time since the accident.

Paul Nicholson escaped unharmed when the sightseeing helicopter about to take his family on a tour of the Manhattan skyline plunged into the East River after taking off on Tuesday evening.

Sonia Marra, who was celebrating her 40th birthday, drowned after being trapped inside for 90 minutes. Her mother, Harriet Nicholson, and girlfriend, Helen Tamaki, were pulled out unconscious and are still being treated in a Manhattan hospital.

"Everyone has been looking after us very well," Mr Nicholson, 71, told The Daily Telegraph. "But the two most important people are still in a critical condition."

Mr Nicholson, originally from the north of England, now lives in Portugal with his wife. Miss Marra and Miss Tamaki, a New Zealander, lived in a suburb of Sydney, Australia.

The Nicholson family later released a statement thanking the rescuers who helped the surviving passengers and their American pilot, Paul Dudley, and who tried to rescue Miss Marra.

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