Horrifying way dad discovered son had been killed in helicopter horror
In a shocking tragedy, the son of a politician was killed instantly when a helicopter plummeted from the sky and struck him as he walked down the street.
Isiah Otieno, the 23 year old son of a Kenyan political minister, was a student when he met his untimely death in the freak accident as a helicopter spiralled out of control and crashed into him.
His father, Dalmas Otieno, who served as Kenya's Public Service Minister, devastatingly learned about his son's tragic demise through an email.
In 2008, Isiah was studying at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. On May 13, he had gone to post a letter to his family back home in Nairobi.
Tragically, while crossing the street, a Bell 206 helicopter conducting power line inspections suddenly fell from the sky, crashing into him before erupting into flames, as reported by Nairobi Leo. Eyewitnesses recounted that the aircraft seemed to struggle mid-air before spiralling into a fiery wreckage on a quiet residential street, reports the Express.
Earlier this year, in another Bell helicopter tragedy, six people were killed in New York.
Heartbreakingly, several bystanders reportedly tried to warn Isiah, shouting at him to move away. However, he was wearing earphones and may not have heard either the sound of the descending helicopter or the frantic warnings from those nearby.
The crash also claimed the lives of pilot Edward Heeb, 57, and BC Hydro employees Dirk Rozenboom, 45, and Robert Lehmann, 37, along with Isaiah.
Adding to the horror of the incident, one of the eyewitnesses, who captured photos of the unfolding tragedy, was Isiah's best friend.
One witness, Elmer Bautz, recounted the tragic incident: "There was a pedestrian walking on the street across from me and he was just about at the back alley and I don't think he even knew what hit him."
Another witness shared their account, saying: "It didn't crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk."
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Isiah's father, Dalmas Otieno, received the dreadful news through an email. Friends of Isaiah used his email account to break the news to his dad.
Canadian authorities later confirmed the tragic loss. Dalmas had spoken to his son over the phone merely an hour before the fatal accident.
The College of the Rockies paid tribute to Isaiah with a memorial service. Nick Rubidge, who was the President and CEO at the time, spoke highly of Isaiah, calling him a kind, cheerful, and gentle young man, and an outstanding representative of his country.
"He had a wonderful, gentle nature and was an excellent ambassador for his nation," Rubidge remarked.
Subsequent investigations into the accident disclosed that the helicopter had experienced a catastrophic engine failure. In a valiant final act, the pilot steered towards the street in an attempt to avoid hitting any houses, tragically striking Isiah in the process.
After the inquest, a jury put forward eight recommendations to Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. These encompassed more explicit regulations for helicopter operators, a stipulation for dual-engine aircraft when flying over cities, and compulsory data trackers on all commercial helicopters.
In the wake of his son's tragic death, Dalmas Otieno travelled to Cranbrook, accompanied by his wife and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Canada, demanding compensation for the tragedy. The former Kenyan Public Service Minister expressed that while no amount of compensation could replace his son, he hopes an investigation can be concluded swiftly.
The engine from the helicopter was meticulously disassembled and examined by the Transportation Safety Board. Senior investigator Damien Lawson acknowledged that determining a cause for the accident would be difficult.
TSB spokesman Bill Yearwood stated that investigators were fortunate that despite the fire which engulfed the helicopter post-crash, the engine remained largely intact. Given the absence of a flight data recorder on the helicopter, information derived from the engine was vital and confirmed the crash had been caused by engine failure.
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