Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, walk from the Canadian Search and Rescue Cormorant helicopter that brought them to Summerside, P.E.I, July 4, 2011.PAUL DARROW/REUTERS
An Ontario woman hoping to catch a glimpse of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge in Prince Edward Island ended up in hospital instead.
The 31-year-old woman, her husband and their 10-month-old baby were watching a Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopter do a practice landing on the Summerside waterfront on Sunday afternoon when she was hurt.
A strong downdraft from the landing chopper caused a sign attached to harbour fencing to come loose, striking the woman in the head.
She fell forward with the baby in her arms.
Coast guard members treated the woman at the scene before she and the baby were taken to hospital.
The CBC reported on Monday that the baby suffered a bloody nose and some scratches while the woman - Rebecca Graves of London - received a non-displaced skull fracture, concussion and possible jaw injuries.
William and Catherine flew to Summerside on Monday by Cormorant and watched a search-and-rescue demonstration on the harbour.
Captain Scott Spurr, public affairs officer for 14 Wing in Greenwood, N.S., said the chopper was hovering about 20 metres above the ground when the crew noticed the woman being hit.
"As soon as they saw that, they aborted the landing at the port authority and flew over to the airport in Summerside and landed there instead," he said.
The downwash generated by a helicopter when landing can reach up to 70 km/h.
Sinclair Walker, Summerside's deputy police chief, said the sign struck two other women but neither sought medical treatment.
Captain Spurr said the accident meant the thousands who gathered on the waterfront to see the royal couple on Monday were moved back from the landing site as a precaution.
"We've never seen that before in all the landings we've done with the Cormorant helicopter - this was definitely a first for us," Captain Spurr said. "It's a one-in-a-million shot that something like this would happen."