On May 13, 2008, a Kenyan student, Isaiah Otieno, who was also the son to the then Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno, was killed in Canada after a helicopter fell on him and crushed him.

In the news that made international headlines, witnesses said the Aircraft, a Bell 206 helicopter, was struggling in the air before it fell on 23-year-old Isaiah, who was walking along the streets of a Canadian city to mail a letter to his family in Nairobi.

What shocked many was how the young man couldn’t notice the crashing plane when everyone else around the scene was running for their safety.

However, it was later alleged that Isaiah had his headphones on and was listening to music when the unfortunate incident happened.

The aircraft crashed on him with a ball of fire and burned him to death as horrified onlookers watched. Other three people on board also died in the incident.

“The helicopter was above a house with a big tree, and then it dropped and immediately burst into flames. Just a big black ball of fire came up.

“It didn’t crash at a high speed. The pilot had been trying to control it, but the motor was out at that point, and he fell the last 15 feet. Unfortunately, it hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk….We got the flames out. But I’m pretty sure he was deceased by then,” Witnesses told the press.

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The three other men who died were a pilot and two power line technicians who were on a patrol of transmission lines.

An investigation into the crash revealed that the aircraft had developed engine failure. It also established that the pilot tried to land on the street, avoiding the adjacent residential areas.

Isaiah had moved to Cranbrook to pursue a business course at the College of the Rockies two years before he met his untimely death.

One of the photographers at the scene, who coincidentally was his close friend, described him as a young man who “really stood up for what was right”.

Dalmas said he learned of his son’s death through an email sent by Isaiah’s friends. He said they were later formally informed by Canadian authorities.

It is alleged that Isaiah’s family was planning a big homecoming party for him when they received news of the tragedy.

Dalmas and his family flew to Canada to pay their last respects to their son. They further demanded compensation for the loss of his son’s life.