"Where's mum?" Sea World helicopter crash survivor's heart-breaking question
The husband of a mother who tragically died in the Sea World helicopter crash has shared the heart-breaking question his son Nicholas asked him when he awoke from his coma.
Vanessa Tadros and her 10-year-old son were on the aircraft when it collided with another on January 2nd, as the crash claimed the life of Vanessa and three others.
Nicholas miraculously survived the accident, and has spent the last seven weeks in intensive care recovering from life-altering injuries.
After being in an induced coma, Nicholas awoke and asked his father Simon a question he had been dreading.
“He said, ‘Where’s mum?’” Simon told Ally Langdon during an emotional interview on A Current Affair.
“I said she was in the crash with you.”
“He said, ‘Yeah, I know, but where’s mum?’ I said, ‘Baby boy, mum had to go to Jesus.’”
“And he just turned his head and closed his eyes,” bringing Ally Langdon to tears.
#HelpingNicky: A heartbroken father recalls the final moments before his wife was killed and son was critically injured in the Gold Coast helicopter crash.
See the full story, TONIGHT on A Current Affair.#9ACA | Watch LIVE 7pm pic.twitter.com/cH1TElSUnM
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Nicholas suffered extensive injuries in the crash breaking multiple bones, his kidneys are still not functioning unaided and his lungs collapsed from inhaling jet fuel.
Doctors expect he will need to remain in hospital for at least another five months after deciding he will need to have his right foot amputated.
“He said I’m not going to give up, Dad. I’m not going to leave you alone,” Simon recalled.
“He’s a strong-willed boy. He’s a good kid.”
Simon also recalled the final conversation he had with his wife before she boarded the helicopter with Nicholas.
“I remember saying to my wife, I was thinking it’s amazing how quick they turn over these helicopters,” he said.
“My wife just turned around to me and said, “Babe, I’m sure they know what they’re doing””.
Simon shared that he hasn’t been able to properly grieve the loss of his wife as he spends every minute at Nicholas’ bedside.
“It’s been hard, it’s a daily struggle … I don’t leave his bedside until 12, 1 in the morning,” he said.
“Even leaving to go lay my wife to rest … it was just hard to keep my mind focused on the one thing, I didn’t want to leave him… but we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Image credits: Nine News / Instagram