A British holidaymaker awaiting the birth of his first grandchild died after breaking his neck during a ‘sofa-dinghy’ speedboat ride on a Greek island getaway of a lifetime.
Simon Crewe, 57, of Whetstone, Leicester, died on May 23 after a ride on an inflatable sofa-dinghy, being pulled by a speedboat off Costa Costa beach, in Lassi, Kefalonia.
A documentary inquest held yesterday heard the father-of-three and soon-to-be grandfather sustained fatal neck injuries when another rider was thrown into the air and landed on him.
Mr Crewe was on the inflatable with his brother David and a friend of theirs they had gone away with when they heard a ‘massive bang’
It was the last day of their holiday and they were due to return home the next day.
Simon Crewe (pictured) was on the Greek island getaway of a lifetime with his partner Vicki Hewitt, brother David, and their friends in May when his tragic death occurred
Catherine Mason, coroner at the Leicester Town Hall hearing, recorded a narrative conclusion in which she said: ‘On Tuesday May 23 2017, Mr Crewe chose to go on a water ride whilse on holiday in Kefalonia.
‘During the ride one of the other participants catapulted in the air and then impacted with Mr Crewe.
‘As a result of the impact Mr Crew sustained fatal neck injuries.’
Mr Crewe’s brother David, who was present at yesterday’s hearing, was struck on the head by an unknown object during the ride.
Their friend was thrown into the air, landing in the sea, where he floated unconscious.
Mr Crewe was on holiday with his partner of three years Vicki Hewitt (pictured). The 49-year-old was in the speedboat dragging the sofa-dinghy and had to watch medics try to revive him
Their holiday to Lassi, Kefalonia, Greece, was described as ‘the most fantastic ever’ until Mr Crewe’s death. He is pictured with partner Ms Hewitt
Pictured is a ‘sofa-dinghy’ similar to the one that Mr Crewe was riding when he suffered a fatal neck break
Mr Crewe’s partner, Vicki Hewitt, 49, was in the speed boat ahead and watched in horror as the driver carried out emergency first aid to try to revive him.
She too was present at the hearing, but was not asked to give evidence.
He had been on the island for six days, enjoying ‘the most fantastic holiday ever’ with his partner, brother and three others when the tragedy happened.
Speaking after the tragic crash, David Crewe said: ‘Simon had his heart set on having a go on the inflatable yellow sofa we’d seen being pulled out by speedboat – a bit like the banana boat rides.
‘He loved fun and we’d had a brilliant week’s holiday.
‘It was the last day and about 5pm, so me and the two other men from our party of six agreed and got on the sofa.’
The ride seated eight, but only the three men were on it.
He added: ‘Two of our partners, including his partner Vicki, got into the speedboat with the driver facing us so they could see us being towed.
Simon Crew and Vicki Hewitt are pictured enjoying their holiday before his untimely death on May 23
‘The ride had begun and there was a massive bang.
‘Something hit my head. I thought we must have hit a wave. Our friend was thrown into the sea and disappeared completely.
‘I turned to Simon and… I don’t know what had happened, but I watched him die.’
Ms Hewitt, Mr Crewe’s partner of three years, said at the time: ‘I can’t believe he has gone. He was the very best of men.’
Speaking in May, Mr Crewe’s children, Aimie Geraghty, 28, Samuel Crewe, 26, and Sophie Crewe, 22, praised their father as an ‘all round good bloke’.
Ms Hewitt is pictured with his partner of three years Mr Crewe. He was found unresponsive after being hit by one of his fellow passengers
Ms Geraghty, an English teacher at a city secondary school, of Scraptoft, Leicestershire, said: ‘He could meet a stranger and within five minutes they’d be making him a cup of tea. He had enough charisma to fill a room.
‘He spoke to anybody. I don’t think he knew how much he was loved
‘A lot of his friends said he didn’t stop talking about his children.
‘He was incredibly proud of us all, that we went out and earned our living so we could buy our old dad a drink.
‘He was a fantastic carpenter and did so much work at our house to get ready for the baby, and helped wallpaper the nursery.’
Mr Crewe (pictured second left) and his three children. He was expecting his first grandchild but died after the sofa-dinghy ride he was on went horribly wrong