Duck and cover

We've all seen the movies and TV programs where anyone approaching or leaving a helicopter crouches down as they walk/run, making sure they are well clear of the spinning rotor blades even if they are well above them. It's probably an instinctive natural reaction and I'm sure I did the same when I went on a helicopter ride a few years back. So you have to feel sorry for the helicopter instructor in Qld who suffered a compound skull fracture yesterday. His injuries may have been less severe had he not already removed his helmet before being caught by the slow moving (20 to 30 revolutions a minute) main blades of the helicopter he had just shut down. It does make sense that the blades, when not at full speed, would flex downwards at the ends enough to cause a serious damage.