Two injured at wedding
New Hampshire roofer Barry Billcliff had just married the woman of his dreams when the beautiful wedding they’d been planning for two years took a nosedive.
Capturing the nuptials from an airborne drone seemed like such a great idea. But two of his wedding guests — and you know we’ve all been wondering when something like this would happen — now say his hovering video camera went haywire and slammed into their faces, injuring them on the dance floor under a tent at Searles Castle in Windham.
Kelly Eaton of Peabody and Kneena Ellis of Seabrook, N.H., who were friends of the couple, filed a negligence lawsuit last week against the groom and Searles Castle Event Management, Inc.
Eaton says the rogue drone fractured her nose and orbital bone, and left her with a concussion. Ellis claims the drone’s propellers struck her head, leaving a gash that needed more than 20 stitches. Ellis adds she suffered a concussion, as well.
Yesterday, Billcliff, 38, told me, yes, he owns the drone. He admitted he was operating it earlier at his Aug. 8 wedding, but insisted he wasn’t at the controls when it crashed. At the time, Billcliff said he was in the middle of the crowd, behind his wife, near the stage, listening to their friends perform a song written especially for the newlyweds.
Billcliff was flabbergasted.
“How would anyone think that anything like that would ever happen on their big day?” he said.
Paramedics showed up and the reception came to a halt.
“That pretty much ended it,” said Billcliff, who added his bride, Nichole, was in a “really, really bad mood after that.”
“At the moment, she just got really mad at me and thought that I just completely ruined the wedding,” Billcliff said. “She was so worried about me doing something stupid.”
Billcliff admits he’s known for his “stupid antics.” But except for tossing a few meatballs at his friends’ table, Billcliff insists he was on his best behavior at the wedding.
He says he’s still trying to figure out who had the joystick when the drone spiraled out of control.
Billcliff says he saved up for what was supposed to be a spectacular wedding — just not quite that way.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Billcliff said of his wedding, up until... you know what.
Billcliff said he uses his drone when he rides his off-road vehicles, and immortalizing his wedding with it was a no-brainer.
Fly in the ointment: Scott Robb II, vice president of Searles Castle, said he never gave Billcliff permission to fly the drone. In fact, when Robb saw the drone buzzing around outside the tent earlier, he says he told Billcliff to ground it. Later, Robb said, a waiter informed him the groom had maneuvered the drone into the tent.
Robb ran over but it was too late. Blood was gushing from one woman’s head. Robb called for an ambulance.
The DJ, Robb said, told him the groom was operating the drone at the time.
Billcliff’s attorney, Andrew LaCourse, says, no, Billcliff wasn’t operating the drone at the time of the crash.
“It’s regrettable somebody got hurt,” LaCourse said. Eaton and Ellis couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday. Their attorney, Kevin McCullough, didn’t return calls.
SOURCE: Heslam: Guests suing groom over drone crash
New Hampshire roofer Barry Billcliff had just married the woman of his dreams when the beautiful wedding they’d been planning for two years took a nosedive.
Capturing the nuptials from an airborne drone seemed like such a great idea. But two of his wedding guests — and you know we’ve all been wondering when something like this would happen — now say his hovering video camera went haywire and slammed into their faces, injuring them on the dance floor under a tent at Searles Castle in Windham.
Kelly Eaton of Peabody and Kneena Ellis of Seabrook, N.H., who were friends of the couple, filed a negligence lawsuit last week against the groom and Searles Castle Event Management, Inc.
Eaton says the rogue drone fractured her nose and orbital bone, and left her with a concussion. Ellis claims the drone’s propellers struck her head, leaving a gash that needed more than 20 stitches. Ellis adds she suffered a concussion, as well.
Yesterday, Billcliff, 38, told me, yes, he owns the drone. He admitted he was operating it earlier at his Aug. 8 wedding, but insisted he wasn’t at the controls when it crashed. At the time, Billcliff said he was in the middle of the crowd, behind his wife, near the stage, listening to their friends perform a song written especially for the newlyweds.
Billcliff was flabbergasted.
“How would anyone think that anything like that would ever happen on their big day?” he said.
Paramedics showed up and the reception came to a halt.
“That pretty much ended it,” said Billcliff, who added his bride, Nichole, was in a “really, really bad mood after that.”
“At the moment, she just got really mad at me and thought that I just completely ruined the wedding,” Billcliff said. “She was so worried about me doing something stupid.”
Billcliff admits he’s known for his “stupid antics.” But except for tossing a few meatballs at his friends’ table, Billcliff insists he was on his best behavior at the wedding.
He says he’s still trying to figure out who had the joystick when the drone spiraled out of control.
Billcliff says he saved up for what was supposed to be a spectacular wedding — just not quite that way.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Billcliff said of his wedding, up until... you know what.
Billcliff said he uses his drone when he rides his off-road vehicles, and immortalizing his wedding with it was a no-brainer.
Fly in the ointment: Scott Robb II, vice president of Searles Castle, said he never gave Billcliff permission to fly the drone. In fact, when Robb saw the drone buzzing around outside the tent earlier, he says he told Billcliff to ground it. Later, Robb said, a waiter informed him the groom had maneuvered the drone into the tent.
Robb ran over but it was too late. Blood was gushing from one woman’s head. Robb called for an ambulance.
The DJ, Robb said, told him the groom was operating the drone at the time.
Billcliff’s attorney, Andrew LaCourse, says, no, Billcliff wasn’t operating the drone at the time of the crash.
“It’s regrettable somebody got hurt,” LaCourse said. Eaton and Ellis couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday. Their attorney, Kevin McCullough, didn’t return calls.
SOURCE: Heslam: Guests suing groom over drone crash
