Grand Canyon Helicopter Crash: Newlywed Ellie Udall Dies Four Days After Husband

Fifth Briton to die in Arizona tragedy.
Jonathan and Ellie Udall who have died following a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon.
Jonathan and Ellie Udall who have died following a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon.
Justgiving

Honeymooner Ellie Udall has become the fifth Briton to die following a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon after failing to regain consciousness, the Foreign Office said.

Her husband Jon Udall was also in the crash on February 10 and died four days ago.

The 29-year-old was in a critical condition in University Medical Centre of Southern Nevada after the crash at the Arizona tourist attraction.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, her family said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of our daughter Eleanor Udall (nee Milward) as a result of the injuries she sustained in the Grand Canyon helicopter crash on 10 February, 2018.

“Mrs Udall passed away without regaining consciousness, in the Lion’s Burns Unit at the University Medical Centre, Las Vegas, USA.

“The family are exceedingly grateful for everything done by rescue services and volunteers in the Canyon, and throughout the last two weeks by the exceptional staff at UMC.

“Thank you for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time.”

Mourners gather at St. Matthews Church in Worthing, West Sussex, for a memorial service for Stuart and Jason Hill, who were killed alongside Becky Dobson in a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon.
Mourners gather at St. Matthews Church in Worthing, West Sussex, for a memorial service for Stuart and Jason Hill, who were killed alongside Becky Dobson in a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon.
PA Wire/PA Images

Their friends, Becky Dobson, 27, her boyfriend Stuart Hill, 30, and his brother Jason Hill, 32, died when the Airbus EC130 B4 crashed shortly before sunset on February 10.

They had also been celebrating Stuart Hill’s 30th birthday with a trip to Las Vegas.

Mrs Udall was a manager for Yorkshire Building Society, where her husband also worked.

The Mohave County Medical Examiner previously said that multiple injuries killed Dobson and the Hill brothers, all originally from Worthing, West Sussex.

Two others – Jennifer Barham, 39, and pilot Scott Booth, 42 – were also treated in hospital.

The helicopter crashed on tribal land in a section of the Grand Canyon outside of the national park where air tours are not as highly regulated.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A preliminary report said witnesses saw the helicopter do at least two 360-degree turns before hitting the ground.

Investigators will interview witnesses, survivors, the helicopter operator and manufacturer and others before issuing a full report in at least a year’s time.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Check back for the fullest version. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

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