Chris Neill, 40, was travelling with his sons Reece, 20, and Archie, nine, when he fell ill on the Jet2 flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Burgas on Monday, September 16, 2024
A dad has issued a warning to holidaymakers after his son died next to his two boys while flying to Bulgaria.
Chris Neill, 40, and his two sons, Reece, 20, and Archie, nine, had set off from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport headed for Burgas on September 16 last year, when he suddenly fell ill on board. Chris’ parents, Mal and Lesley, set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for his body to be returned to the UK.
The fundraiser performed incredibly well, collecting almost £10,000 over the £15,000 target. On the anniversary of Chris’ death, Mal revealed the money was used to repatriate his body before the surplus was put into a trust fund for the two boys.
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Mal flew out to Germany the following day to collect Reece and Archie, seeing them safely back on a plane home to the UK while he remained in Cologne to deal with the coroner, reports the Manchester Evening News. Speaking shortly after Chris’s death last year, Mal explained how his son believed he had travel insurance through his bank, Halifax, but it had unfortunately expired.
Now, Mal has warned people to ensure they have travel insurance before heading off on holiday. He said: “The GoFundMe fund paid for Chris’s repatriation and funeral and gave his two boys a small trust fund each.
“As mentioned at the time, Chris thought he had travel insurance through his bank account but had changed banks and didn’t realise the new account didn’t include it. It’s a lesson people should take heed of, always check your insurance and if you don’t have insurance, don’t take a chance thinking you won’t need any.”
Mal, 69, who has terminal cancer and lives in Bromborough, Merseyside, said how Reece, his girlfriend and a group of their friends walked up Snowden last week in memory of his dad, with the family remaining close with the woman who tried to save Chris’ life. He continued: “We have become good friends with the paramedic who tried to treat Chris on the flight, Rachael-Victoria Leyland.
“She works in the Lancaster and Morecambe area and is very good friends with friends of ours who are paramedics. She attended Chris’s funeral in Runcorn with us where I introduced her to his friends.”
Speaking at the time, Rachael-Victoria wrote on Facebook: “As most of you are aware I attended a medical emergency last Monday on the flight home from Bulgaria. I was asked to assist with a 40-year-old male with chest pain, the male being Chris. It was apparent to me Chris was suffering from a massive MI, in simple terms a heart attack.
“I did a few checks and interventions and made the decision to tell the crew that the pilot needed to do an emergency landing. I managed with the help of an off-duty colonoscopy nurse and the crew to get Chris to the front of the plane so I had space in case Chris needed any emergency care. Sadly after a few minutes of being sat at the front of the plane, Chris had a small seizure and went into cardiac arrest.
“Between myself the crew and the nurse we attached the AED and started chest compressions instantly working for over 30 mins. Sadly Chris had his 19-year-old son and son’s girlfriend and his eight-year-old son on the plane. I did a medical hand over on the runway to the German medical team.
“Chris sadly passed away in hospital not so long after. Such a small world I have connected with Chris’s dad Mal Neill today as he actually lives in Morecambe and knows two good friends of mine. Mal sent me some flowers to work today bless him.”
Paying tribute to his son, former Merseyside Police officer Mal said at the time: “He was a staunch Everton fan and brought his children up as Everton fans. He lived life to the full and he was bubbly. He was 6ft 4in and went to the gym every day, he was massive.
“He lived for his children and when I was going through photos for the GoFundMe there are so many of him and his sons. He was full of fun, bubbly, he would do anything for anybody. I know people say that when someone dies but he would have. He was really liked by everyone.”