Mum-of-three fatally struck by boat propeller in front of family in holiday tragedy

dailystar.co.uk:

family while on holiday, an investigation has revealed.Laura Perry, 38, was enjoying a trip with her partner and three sons aged four, 14 and 16, when she suddenly fell from the rear deck after the boat hit a wall on the River Bure in Norfolk Broads.Her partner and sons watched on in horror alongside her parents and 16-year-old niece as she became tangled in rope and the propeller on the 12.8m motor cruiser.According to a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report, Laura suffered multiple injuries and drowned on the third day of a five-day getaway in August 2019.The report detailed that it was "likely" the mum may not have drowned if the boat, which was owned by Ferry Marina, was fitted with an adequate guardrail."Technical features of the dual-helm control system," were another issue highlighted by the report.

Laura's sister was driving the boat at the time.The report found that the boat operator only took "about 10 minutes" with the training handover as the group's luggage was being loaded. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here."Both the boat handover and the documentation provided to the family were insufficient to ensure that the hire party were competent to drive a boat with dual-helm control," it was concluded.

Chief inspector of marine accidents Andrew Moll made a number of recommendations around improving guidance for people hiring boats in October 2020.