Nick Milligan's widow tells inquest of 'big mistake' that no one used boat's kill cord Nick Milligan, 51, and daughter Emily, 8, died in accident on May 5, 2013 Family had been in Padstow, Cornwall, and were thrown from the boat Mr Milligan and Emily were killed and other family members were injured Wife Victoria, 40, tells jury inquest that no one was wearing boat's kill cord Mr Milligan had been driving and wearing cord, but she then took over As they were heading back to the moorings she did not attach the device Mr Milligan then grabbed the wheel and accelerated to turn, inquest told Boat jerked, the family fell out, and they were hit by out of control vessel Father died from head injuries, while Emily had injuries to her abdomen She was 'likely to have been unconscious before she was hit by propeller' Escape: Mrs Milligan, pictured outside the inquest today, said she had grabbed Kit and was trying to swim away from the boat when it caught her leg The widow of a senior television executive who died alongside their eight-year-old daughter in a bank holiday speedboat accident told his inquest of her 'big mistake' in not using the vessel's kill cord. Sky executive Nick Milligan, 51, and daughter Emily had been on the boat in Padstow, Cornwall, on May 5, last year with the rest of their family when they were thrown into the water. The out of control boat continued to circle at high speed before hitting the family members, killing Mr Milligan and Emily, and injuring his wife Victoria and their three other children. Mrs Milligan, 40, today told the pair's inquest in Truro that she regretted that neither she, nor her husband had been attached to the boat's kill cord, a safety feature designed to cut the throttle in an emergency. She said Mr Milligan, the managing director of Sky's advertising sales division Sky Media who was known as Nicko to his family and friends, had been wearing it around his ankle. However, when she took over the controls of the boat so that he could go to the toilet she had not attached it to herself, as they were heading back to the mooring. 'I didn't put it back on because I thought Nicko was going to come back and take over,' she told the jury at the hearing. Obviously that was a big mistake. The Milligans had been on holiday with their four children, Amber, 13, Olivia, 12, Emily, and six-year-old Kit, leaving their home in Wandsworth, south-west London, for a Bank Holiday break just two days earlier. Mrs Milligan lost the lower part of her left leg in the incident, Amber suffered a cut hand, Olivia a bump to her head, and Kit serious injuries and needed 12 operations to save one of his legs. Mrs Milligan told the inquest that she had driven the speedboat - called Milly - about 20 times during 2012 and had completed her powerboat course on it. Describing the build-up to the incident, she said: 'Nicko said he needed a wee and put Milly into neutral and removed the kill cord from around his leg. I went up to the steering wheel and I had always done this to ensure that Kit did not interfere with the controls. I stood by the steering wheel and Nicko returned to the bow of the boat and started to play with the children. I was worried as the tide was going out and the boat was about halfway between Rock beach and Padstow beach. The sea was flat and calm and I decided to drive Milly back to the mooring. I did not put the kill cord around my leg because it was only a short distance to the mooring. Mrs Milligan said she was persuaded by her children to do one last lap of the picturesque Camel Estuary but she protested that there was not enough room to turn. Tragedy: Nick Milligan, 51, and his eight-year-old daughter Emily (left) were in a speedboat with the rest of the family, Victoria and children (left to right) Olivia, Kit and Amber, when they were thrown from the boat and hit by the out of control vessel as it continued to circle in the water Terror: The boat, seen being tailed by a local sailor attempting to bring it under control, hot the family after they fell into the water. Mrs Milligan said that neither she, nor her husband, had been attached to the boat's kill cord As I started to drive back to the mooring, the children all called out that they wanted to go around again. "Nicko then said "turn right, turn right." We were not going very fast and I did not think there was enough room to turn. He then grabbed the wheel with his right hand and accelerated with his left hand. Nicko was standing on my left. I remember the acceleration was not smooth and it jerked. Nicko had never caused it to jerk in this way before. I remember feeling like we had hit a wall and we all fell out. It was so sudden, it all happened within seconds. I thought afterwards maybe we had hit something to tip the six people out. My husband was 6ft 3in and 15 stone, something must have tipped us out. I think it was the action of the boat that tipped us all out. It was just so sudden, we didn't have a chance. We were standing at one point, then the next we were in the water. Mrs Milligan said her husband had tried to huddle the familit members together inside the boat's turning circle so its propellers would avoid them. 'We all fell into the water,' she said. Kit was screaming as I grabbed him and Nicko was telling us to stay together. Nicko was splashing about in the water, he was upset. He was saying "stay in the middle, stay in the middle." I could see the beach and started to swim with Kit. The boat was going around us very fast and I think the accelerator was at its highest setting. I was not aware of where the others were but as I swam with Kit the boat came straight towards me and hit me in the chest. It caught my leg and I saw lots of blood. Pausing to compose herself, Mrs Milligan continued: 'I knew I had to get out of the water. I did not know where anybody else was, other than Kit. Injuries: Mrs Milligan lost the lower part of her left leg in the incident, Amber suffered a cut hand, Olivia a bump to her head, and Kit serious injuries to his leg Taking control: Mrs Milligan (right) told the hearing that her husband (left) had grabbed the wheel of the boat and accelerated, causing the boat to jerk Help: A lifeboat crew, a passing boat and some canoeists, attempt to help the family in the water I did not see the boat hit anybody else. It continued to circle. I remember a woman came to help. Prior to the accident I am not aware of anything to distract either of us. The route we took that day was one we completed every time we took the boat out and there was nothing out of the ordinary. Neither of us had ever made a manoeuvre when we felt unsafe or about to fall out. I would like to clarify that we never "wave jumped" in the estuary. Asked by Cornwall coroner Emma Carlyon about falling out of the boat, Mrs Milligan replied: 'I saw the boat speed away from us - that's all I can remember - it all happened very quickly. Hero: Water sports instructor Charlie Toogood risked his life by leaping onto the out of control boat after speeding to the rescue with a friend when they saw the family in the sea I thought maybe we had hit something. It was so sudden and we didn't have a chance. One second we were in the boat and the next second we were in the water. 'I wasn't aware where anyone else was. My survival instincts kicked in and I just grabbed Kit and decided to swim towards the beach. Earlier, the inquest heard evidence from pathologist Dr Russell Delaney. He said Mr Milligan died from 'significant' head injuries, which would have been caused by either his ejection from the speedboat, impact with the water or blunt impact from the boat. Asked about Mrs Milligan's evidence that her husband was able to shout to her while in the water, Dr Delaney replied: 'If Nicholas Milligan was in the water and moving his arms and talking and shouting, then that head injury would have occurred after that. I would not have expected him to be able to do that if he had sustained that head injury during the ejection. Mr Milligan was found to have 56mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal drink drive limit is 80mg per 100ml. Dr Delaney said Emily died from multiple injuries - particularly to her abdomen - which were also caused by her ejection from the boat, impact with the water or a blunt impact from the boat. The inquest heard that the boat's propeller caused significant injuries to Emily but she would have already been rendered unconscious. 'From that point of unconsciousness, she would have been entirely unaware of what was happening,' Dr Delaney said. The injuries to her abdomen were as a result of her ejection from the boat and whatever then happened to her afterwards would have been very rapidly fatal - those are not injuries she could have survived. Investigation: Officials in Padstow harbour following the crash. The family had been on the way back to the moorings when the tragedy occurred Home: The family had left their home in Wanstead, south east London (pictured), for a Bank Holiday break Holiday: The Milligans had been staying at this house in Daymer Bay, near Padstow in Cornwall