The three Britons who were killed in a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon died of multiple injuries, a coroner has said.
The crash that killed brothers Jason and Stuart Hill, 31 and 30, and the younger sibling’s partner Becky Dobson, 27, was an “accident”, Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office said on Wednesday.
Three British passengers and the pilot were taken to hospital following the incident at the Arizona tourist attraction on Saturday.
The wreckage of the crashed helicopter (Teddy Fujimoto/AP)
The three who died were originally from Worthing, West Sussex, and were on holiday in the US to celebrate Stuart Hill’s landmark birthday.
Jennifer Springfield, administration assistant at the medical examiner’s office, said: “The cause of death is going to be multiple injuries due to a helicopter crash and the manner is: accident.”
The preliminary findings were released ahead of full post-mortem examination reports which could take up to six weeks, she added.
The Rev David Hill and Sandra Hill, parents of solicitor Jason and car salesman Stuart, said they were “remarkable people” who will be “deeply missed by so many, many people”.
Ms Dobson was working as a receptionist at a vet’s and had ambitions of becoming a veterinary nurse.
Ellie Milward, 29, Jonathan Udall, 32, and Jennifer Barham, 39, were airlifted to University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with pilot Scott Booth, 42, according to local reports.
The helicopter tour was run by Papillon and the crash is being investigated by the National Transport Safety Board.
A crowdfunding page on the JustGiving website has raised more than £14,000 for Mr Udall and Ms Milward, who it describes as having been on their honeymoon at the time of the tragedy.