The father of a boy who suffered catastrophic injuries in a horrific helicopter crash, which claimed the life of his mother, has spoken for the first time since the crash.
Nicholas Tadros was one of seven people on-board a joy ride helicopter which crashed near Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast on January 2.
His mother Vanessa was one of four people killed when two helicopters crashed near the theme park, including pilot Ash Jenkinson and British newlywed couple Ron and Diane Hughes.
Ten-year-old Nicholas has been receiving treatment in hospital after surviving the horror crash, with his father Simon almost never not at his side.
Simon Tadross appeared on Monday night’s episode of A Current Affair, giving host Ally Langdon an update on his son’s condition, more than a month on from the crash.
“Nicky is keeping his spirits, but he’s struggling on a day-to-day basis,” said Simon, holding back tears for much of the ACA interview.
“He broke nearly everything top to bottom … his sternum, his legs, lungs collapsing … his kidneys are still not functioning. The only thing that he didn’t break was his right arm.”
Since the interview, Simon has confirmed with the program his son will lose his right foot.
“It’s been hard, it’s a daily struggle … I don’t leave his bedside until 12, 1 in the morning.”
“Even leaving to go lay my wife to rest … it was just hard to keep my mind focused on the one thing, I didn’t want to leave him … but we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Nicholas was unable to attend his mother’s funeral, with doctors predicting the boy will need to remain in hospital for at least another five months.
“He’s conscious, he’s awake, he’s aware of everything … his mental state of mind, he’s not in a good place, but he’s not giving up,” said Mr Tadros.
“He said I’m not going to give up, Dad. I’m not going to leave you alone.
“He’s a strong-willed boy. He’s a good kid.”
Soon after regaining consciousness, Nicholas asked Simon the question his father had been dreading.
“He said, ‘Where’s mum?’ said Simon, “I said she was in the crash with you. He said, ‘Yeah, I know, but where’s mum?’ I said, ‘Baby boy, mum had to go to Jesus.’
“And he just turned his head and closed his eyes,” this response also bringing ACA host Ally Langdon to tears.
Simon admits the financial stress of the situation is “a big worry”.
“It’s something I put in the back of my head right now; my son’s gotta be my focus,” said Mr Tadros.
“All the rehab and everything Nicholas is going to need for the rest of his life … it’s definitely a worry.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau continues to investigate the crash, and predicts a final report will be delivered some time between July and September 2024.
Meanwhile, Nicholas’ martial arts academy has been busy raising funds to help support his recovery.
At the time of writing, a GoFundMe page set-up by the dojo’s sensei, Andrew Nasr, has raised $144,766, smashing its $80k goal.
The fundraiser can be found here.
