Holidaymaker killed riding 'inflatable sofa' dinghy

Vicki Hewitt said she and Simon Crewe had been having a fantastic holiday until the accident

A woman has described watching in horror as her partner was killed on holiday while riding an "inflatable sofa" dinghy.

Vicki Hewitt was in a speedboat which was pulling along Simon Crewe and two other men in Kefalonia, Greece.

She desperately gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but the 57-year-old, from Whetstone in Leicestershire, never regained consciousness.

Greek police are investigating the accident, which happened on Tuesday.

Mr Crewe's brother, who was riding alongside him, received concussion. The third man on the dinghy remains in hospital.

Vicki Hewitt said her partner's death was "so, so tragic"

Ms Hewitt said she and Mr Crewe were together for four and a half years and he was "the love of my life".

"He was going to be a granddad in August which he was really looking forward to," said Ms Hewitt, 49.

"The only blessing was he had a fantastic holiday and he knew nothing at all about it [the accident].

"While he was on the sofa he was saying to both of them 'this is great I love it'."

Vicki Hewitt said Simon Crewe was the love of her life

The couple had been on holiday with a group of friends.

Mr Crewe suggested they all go on the dingy ride but "the driver was going really fast; we were all having to hold on," said Ms Hewitt.

"After about 30 seconds we saw one of them being catapulted about 10 foot into the air."

Vicki Hewitt gave her partner mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but he never regained consciousness

Her friend's husband had been thrown into the water and knocked unconscious.

"We pulled him to the side and he was starting to regain consciousness when Simon's brother started shouting and I realised Simon wasn't breathing," she said.

"I was just screaming and screaming, waving my arms."

She tried to resuscitate him when they got back to land and two doctors who were on holiday also tried to help.

Simon Crewe worked as a carpenter and joiner and had two daughters and a son

Ms Hewitt believes the speedboat pulling the dinghy was going too fast.

"The sofa ride wasn't one to throw you off, it was to go along the waves bouncing away and laughing," she said.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: "Our staff have offered advice to the partner of a British man who has died in Greece.

"We remain in contact with the Greek authorities."