THE dad of a schoolgirl who was killed in a speedboat crash has told a court of the horror moment he watched her die.
Emily Lewis, 15, died from catastrophic chest injuries after the Rigid Inflatable Boat she was in hit the 15ft-high buoy which the skipper had failed to see.
Michael Lawrence is accused of performing reckless stunts before ploughing into the metal structure at 36.6 knots - or 42.2mph.
The devastating collision threw passengers overboard and killed Emily when her chest was "crushed" against a handle.
Others were left with broken bones.
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Lawrence, who was described as highly experienced, qualified and respected, is accused of ignoring safety rules and failing to see the buoy for 14 seconds.
Emily's dad, Simon Lewis, giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court, said Lawrence's driving on the high-powered RIB "made me nervous".
Mr Lewis told how he booked the trip on GroupOn as a "fun treat" for his family as they had not gone on a summer holiday due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
He compared the ride to being in a car driving "too fast" and told of the moment it smashed into the huge buoy.
He said: "I was thrown forward very violently and hit my face, knee and wrist on the seat in front.
"Em was scooched down in front of her seat in almost like a foetal position."
He continued: "I squatted down and was like 'are you alright?' and at the time I thought she had just been winded as she was like 'I can't breathe'.
"I kept telling her 'OK' and to take deep breaths.
"The skipper come out from his position on his phone... He said 'hello mate, I've had a crash, it's a bad one'. He was walking towards the front of the boat which I presume was to look at the damage.
"Emily was unconscious and unable to speak and that was the first time I noticed her lips, which turned blue."
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Mr Lewis, who managed to remain composed while talking about the distressing experience, said medics told him "the amount of time she didn't have enough oxygen would have been detrimental to her".
He said he and his family decided "it's not how Emily would have wished to live" and made the decision to switch off her life support machine.
It comes after the court heard Lawrence "wasn't paying attention" or "miscalculated" a turn during the "extremely dangerous" ride.
He initially blamed the accident on his Covid face mask being blown up by the wind and covering his eyes - but just days later "changed his story" and said he had a momentary loss of vision.
Seadogz Rib Charter Ltd owner Michael Howley, 52, is also on trial facing a safety charge.
The incident happened on Southampton Water around 10am on August 22 in 2020 when families were booking excursions while on summer holidays.
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Emily, who was on board the boat with her mum Nikki, dad Simon and older sister Amy, then 18, was one of 11 people taken to hospital following the crash.
Opening the manslaughter trial on January 13, prosecutor Christine Agnew KC described Lawrence's safety briefing as "wishy washy" and his behaviour overall as "truly, exceptionally bad and grossly negligent".
Two other passengers ended up in the water and others were seriously injured
The 60-minute RIB ride was advertised as "adrenaline-fuelled", involving "speed", "tight turns" and "wake rides".
Lawrence held qualifications including an advanced powerboat course, an advanced powerboat instructor course, and a yacht master course.
On the ride, Emily was placed in the middle due to her age and being the smallest on board.
Her feet could not touch the floor and there were no seatbelts.
Emily was saying she could not breathe, was scared and her lips were blue.
Christine Agnew KC
The boat reached speeds of up to 47.8 knots (55mph) during the ride, performing figure-of-eight turns around buoys.
The speed limit on the water had expired, but Lawrence and Howley thought it was 40 knots.
Other skippers said they felt he came too close to buoys.
Phone records show Lawrence called Howley four times to tell him he had had "a really bad accident".
Amy Lewis broke her arm and passed out. When she regained consciousness she saw the handlebar in front of her "distressed" sister had gone straight into her stomach.
Emily suffered brain damage and her relatives made the "unspeakably hard decision" to turn her life support machine off, the prosecutor added.
The jury was later told neither Lawrence nor Howley was aware of an important safety code on passenger safety on small commercial crafts.
Called the HSPV Code, it was made after a crash in Scotland in 2016 and was promoted by the likes of the Royal Yachting Association.
Lawrence, of Blackfield in the New Forest, denies manslaughter by gross negligence, failure to maintain a proper lookout as master of the boat, and failing to proceed at a safe speed while operating the boat.
Howley, of Hordle, New Forest, denies "failing to take all reasonable steps to secure the boat operated in a safe manner".
Barrister Karim Khalil, defending Lawrence, who he claims now has PTSD, said he kept a "proper" lookout and did not travel at improper speed.
James Newton-Price KC, for Howley, said the married father was in the RNLI and did "what he reasonably could".
The four-week trial continues.
