3rd Woman Dies Month After East River Chopper Crash

Harriet Nicholson died of "respiratory complications of near-drowning"

The New York medical examiner's office says a third woman has died after last month's helicopter crash in the East River.

Harriet Nicholson died early Sunday at Bellevue Hospital.

Ellen Borakove, the medical examiner's spokeswoman, says the 60-year-old English tourist died of "respiratory complications of near-drowning" — meaning a shortage of oxygen to the brain.

Her 40-year-old daughter was found dead in the wreckage after the Oct. 4 accident. And the daughter's partner, a 43-year-old woman, died Oct. 11.

Nicholson's husband and the pilot survived.

The group was on a sightseeing flight when the pilot lost control of his 1976 Bell Ranger helicopter after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and has not yet released a final report.

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