Helicopter’s are not toys! A young man, Roman Pirozek Jr, 19, played with a remote control helicopter in Brooklyn park and lost control of it while trying to perform a trick, as a result he sliced off the top of his own head and died Thursday afternoon.
According to witnesses, a teen was performing a trick with the model helicopter when something went wrong, and the aircraft boomeranged and sliced the top of his head.
Pirozek also sheared off part of his shoulder, officials said. He was killed instantly.
“I’ll never forget it. It was scary,” said a shocked young witness.
Pirozek’s parents declined to speak to reporters.
Pirozek’s neighbors said he worked at Kennedy Airport and was a world-recognized flyer who choreographed routines with the model helicopters.
“It is the worst nightmare, to watch your son die,” one of the neighbours said.
Just days ago, he posted on his Facebook page that it was a “great day for flying.”
Pirozek was a member of the Seaview Rotary Wings, a Brooklyn-based club for model helicopter enthusiasts, of which his father is also the vice president.
The two of them flew model helicopters almost every weekend, sometimes traveling to competitions. The young man also uploaded videos with his model helicopter flights on YouTube.
“It was their big hobby, and it’s just very tragic to see and think about it,” said neighbor.
“It’s just an unreal event, that someone that young, that full of life, enjoying something, is gone. It’s an unbelievable tragedy. Every moment he had off from work or school, he’d be at the field with his friends,” said family friend.
Pirozek graduated in 2012 from the High School for Construction, Engineering and Architecture in Queens, according to his Facebook page.
No permits are necessary to operate RC helicopters, but it’s recommended that hobbyists take extensive lessons before flying one, according to Dennis D’Annunzio, an expert which specializes in making and designing such helicopters.
When the proper precautions are followed, he says accidents are rare.
“People might burn themselves on a hot muffler or nick themselves on a blade but I’ve never heard of anything this tragic before,” he said.
