Boy wakes up from coma, his mother buried 2 weeks after helicopter crash that killed 4 in Australia

A 10-year-old Australian boy who was critically injured in a helicopter collision two weeks ago killed four peopleHe woke up from a coma in a hospital and was holding his father’s hand, a family priest said.

Nicholas Tadros remained at Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, where medical staff on Monday described his condition as “critical but stable”.

His mother, Vanessa Tadros, 36, was killed when two Sea World theme park helicopters on pleasure flights collided on January 2 in the tourist town of Gold Coast, 80km south of Brisbane.

She was buried on Monday after a funeral near the family home in western Sydney. According to The Guardian, her husband Simon gave an emotional eulogy.

“Vanessa was a special person. Her smile was contagious…she had a pure heart…every day we grew strong together. She was our protector,” he said, according to the outlet.

One of the priests who conducted the funeral, Father Suresh Kumar, posted on social media Monday that the son “has been off life support for a few days and his body has responded very well.”

“Sometimes they lowered his sedative medicine to see if he was responsive and he would wake up and (was) able to respond to some questions with a nod or a shake of his head,” Kumar wrote.

“He is also capable of holding his father’s hand,” Kumar added, referring to Nicholas’ father Simon Tadros, who is cited as the source of the information in the statement.

Nicholas remained on a ventilator to support his breathing and more surgeries are planned, the priest said.

“Thank you to everyone who has shown support, love and continued prayers for Nicky, God is listening to our prayers,” Kumar wrote. “Please keep praying for Nicholas, he has a long hard road ahead of him.”

Along with Nicholas’ mother, British couple Ron and Diane Hughes and pilot Ashley Jenkinson were also killed in the collision, which is being investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The other victims who remain in hospital are a 33-year-old mother and her 9-year-old son. The condition of both is listed as stable.

Footage of the crash showed a helicopter shortly after takeoff being clipped by another helicopter flying over the water.

Sea World Helicopters, a separate company from the theme park, expressed its condolences and said it is working with authorities investigating the crash.

“We and the entire aviation community are devastated by what has happened and our sincere condolences go out to everyone involved and especially the loved ones and family of the deceased,” the statement said.