Jack Fenton helicopter death: Heartbroken parents pay tribute to wonderful son after preventable accident
ATHENS, GREECE: The parents of British tourist Jack Fenton, who died by a helicopter’s spinning rotor blade while its engine was still engaged have paid tributes to their "absolutely wonderful" and "caring" son.
The 22-year-old died on Monday, July 25, 2022, from head injuries after getting hit by a spinning rear rotor of a chopper that flew him to Athens, Greece. Jack’s parents, Miguel and Tori Fenton were waiting for him to come home that night. They said they "had left the back door open with food in the fridge," as per ITV News.
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Jack's parents, while speaking to ITV News, Miguel and Tori believe that safety protocols weren’t followed properly by the helicopter company. The 22-year-old’s father, Miguel, said that his son was his best friend and recalled one of their last messages on his 22nd birthday, where Jack texted his father, "thank you dad for making my birthday the best one ever." Miguel said, "the thought that that’s it, we’re never going to have that communication again…" A distraught Tori added, "it doesn’t get worse than that."
Jack was supposed to return from a holiday in Mykonos with his friends. Greek authorities had initially claimed that despite warnings, Jack ran back onto the tarmac to take a selfie. The claims have since been withdrawn and there is now an ongoing investigation into the horrific incident.
Tori said they have to defend their son even though they shouldn’t have to. She said, "we know he’s not that stupid", adding, "everybody who was there said it was nothing of the sort."
According to News Cinema, family friend Robin Stanton-Gleaves said that the Greek authorities have handled the incident "appallingly" and called the accident "preventable". Robin said that if "better safety procedures, such as turning the rotors off while escorting the passengers would have been followed, Jack wouldn't have lost his life."
Meanwhile, his grief-stricken parents are still waiting for answers, as the Greek authorities say that the investigation into the case is still going on. Tori said, "I don’t want all this swept under a rug, to make sure this doesn’t happen again to anyone else because it’s horrendous."
Jack Fenton's final moments
The Greek capital’s Air Accident Investigation Chief Ioannis Kondylis described Jack's last moments in detail. He said, "From the testimonies, we have collected, it does not appear from anywhere that the young man wanted to take a selfie. What is reported is that the 22-year-old was holding a mobile phone and had it to his ear, but it has not yet been clarified whether he was talking.”
Kondylis revealed that Jack exited the Bell 407 craft from the right door after it landed, but returned to it and ducked under the tail of the craft. As he stooped, he was unable to see the rear rotor spinning at up to 500 revolutions per second.
British touris Jack Fenton, a student at Oxford Brookes University. has died in Greece, after being dismembered by the blades of a helicopter after getting too close to the aircraft while the engines were still running. 😬😢"Horrible!" pic.twitter.com/qeJXmT2fxx
— Sumner (@renmusb1) July 26, 2022