Adelaide wife Emma Heritage recalls tragic cost after Canadian rock climbing accident that killed husband Daniel

When Emma Heritage’s husband died in her arms after an accident in Canada there was utter devastation. But that was just the start of the confronting things to grapple with.

Adelaide couple Emma and Daniel Heritage. Daniel died in a rock climbing accident in Canada. Pictures: Supplied by family

When Emma Heritage’s husband died in her arms on the side of a cliff in Canada, the adrenaline kicked in as she first called 911 and then helped rescuers in an emergency helicopter get them to the ground.

The experienced Adelaide climbers were both 28 years of age when Daniel suddenly lost his footing several metres above Emma and fell down the cliff in Banff National Park to where she was clipped to an anchor.

It happened quietly and quickly, a sickening slackening of the rope connecting the couple and Emma turning to see the man she first met at 18 years of age roll toward the edge of the cliff and take flight.

“He landed near where I was, it just happened, he didn’t yell or make any noise. There was a lot of bleeding from his mouth, he very quickly lost consciousness and he wasn’t responsive,” Emma said.

Daniel Heritage from Adelaide died in his wife Emma’s arms after a rock climbing accident. Picture: Supplied by family

By the time rescuers arrived it was too late.

“I knew when the rescuers first directed the plan to get me down before Daniel. I think that was probably one of the most heartbreaking moments for me because I had to step away from him,” she said.

It was also the beginning of an incredibly confronting time for Emma.

In the midst of her grief there was the need for a Coroner’s Report in Canada to rule out “foul play” as Emma was the only witness to the tragedy two years ago.

Then she quickly discovered the fine print in the couple’s insurance revealed they were covered for travel but not life insurance, particularly for an activity deemed dangerous like rock climbing.

“I arranged to get him sent to a local funeral home, the biggest issue was I needed to get Daniel home to his family,” Emma said.

“But they weren’t going to start the process of getting him home until I paid a deposit and that was about 12 grand.”

The costs kept growing. Daniel’s mother immediately paid the Canadian funeral home deposit saying: “I want my baby home”, but then there was another financial hit with the flight transferring his body to Adelaide costing about $8000 and the funeral in Australia another $15,000.

Emma estimates expenses grew to more than $50,000.

Amid the turmoil, Emma is grateful her twin sister Jessica Bartel stepped in and established a GoFundMe page asking for financial support with a target of $10,000.

An outpouring of grief and support saw the target long surpassed with donations amounting to $42,830.

The funds have afforded some relief, paying for funeral homes in Canada and Adelaide, the cost of transporting him home and for flights surrounding the event.

Adelaide couple Emma and Daniel Heritage at their wedding in Adelaide. Pictures Supplied by family.

Daniel Heritage and Emma on their wedding day in Kuitpo forest in 2018. Picture: Supplied by family

Today, Emma is sitting with a hot chocolate in a Rundle Mall cafe having just finished a test for the second year of her physiotherapy degree.

There is still plenty of emotion as she recalls how her father Neville Sykes was the first family member from Adelaide to arrive in Canada.

It triggered mixed emotions, relief at having a family member nearby despite the huge support from new Canadian friends, but also intense sorrow as it meant Emma would soon be leaving.

The couple had been only a few months into their dream two-year trip to Canada when Daniel died.

“I was pretty keen to get Daniel back home to his family but it was funny, I had this conflict, leaving Canada was farewelling this adventure and my most recent memories, they were such fresh memories, it felt like I was leaving him behind,” Emma said.

But there is hope now with Emma living in Adelaide with Daniel’s mother and looking to the future.

Adelaide couple Emma and Daniel Heritage. Daniel died in a rock climbing accident in Canada. Picture: Supplied by family.

The physiotherapy degree is a career path she and Daniel had planned together. Emma hopes that once it’s finished she can get a new job and afford to move back into the home the couple bought together in Valley View. At the moment it is rented by tenants.

Daniel is never far from her thoughts and in June last year Emma’s mother helped pay for a return trip to Canada with the hope her daughter could find some more closure.

It led her back to Mother’s Day Buttress in Banff where Emma is still struggling to see how Daniel’s accident happened when they were well-prepared, experienced climbers tackling a moderate-risk climb.

“I re-climbed the place where it happened. I thought it would be really emotional and I would be a puddle of tears but it was actually when I climbed above where he fell that it was frustration that I felt,” Emma says.

“I couldn’t see why he fell and I couldn’t understand how I could be OK and he wasn’t. I’m never going to know … I guess I’ll have to just come to terms with that and just continue to miss him.”

Sad cost of bringing loved ones home as deaths overseas rise

As the number of Australians dying on overseas holidays surges by 23 per cent, grieving relatives like Adelaide student Emma Heritage are being forced to find financial help in getting the bodies of loved ones home.

Latest Australian government figures show 1871 Australians died overseas during 2022-2023 compared to 1523 the year before.

The highest number of deaths of Australians was recorded in Thailand at 301, followed by 210 in the Philippines and 148 in Indonesia, including travel hotspot Bali.

Daniel Heritage died in a rock climbing accident in Canada. Picture: Supplied by family.

Repatriation specialist at Distinctive Funerals in West Hindmarsh, Daniella Mastro, said her funeral home has supported two families with loved ones who died overseas during the past year including one man recently from Greece.

But the process is costly. Flights alone for bringing bodies home can “range from $2500 to $6000” putting intense pressure on bank accounts, Ms Mastro said.

While “nine times out of 10 there is an underlying medical issue, it’s still a shock” to families, she said, and families then faced costs and challenges in contacting Australian consulates, finding an overseas funeral director to help transport bodies home and overcoming language barriers.

“I’m seeing a lot more GoFundMe sites being set up, these days people don’t have the money, they seem to be popping up quite a bit now to lessen the burden,” Ms Mastro said.

She said some families were forced to consider alternative transport for loved ones rather than paying the high cost of transporting a coffin and body home, many opting to have bodies cremated overseas so the cost of transport is lower.

When Ms Heritage’s husband suddenly died during a rock climb in Canada in 2022, the cost of bringing Daniel, 28, home to Adelaide quickly grew to about $50,000.

The Adelaide student said the pressure was lessened by her sister starting a GoFundMe page that raised more than $42,000 toward paying sudden bills for funeral homes and transport.

In the past few weeks four Australians died in Bali from motorbike accidents and one during a diving trip, with DFAT numbers showing that in 2022-23 100 Australians also died in Vietnam and 97 in the United States.

Dennis Bunnik, joint chief executive officer of the Bunnik Travel Group, said it was currently peak travel time to Europe and the company he started almost 30 years ago was experiencing its “biggest year ever”.

While his company had experienced very few incidents, Mr Bunnik said the vast majority of Australians who died overseas were from natural cause or underlying health conditions, and the company liaised closely with DFAT and the Smartraveller program to keep travellers safe.