Tour owner jailed for 10.5 years for weir drowning deaths of 4 customers

[Glenn MacGrady]

The owner of a UK paddleboard company, which could just as easily have been a canoe company, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and imprisoned for 10.5 years in Wales for failing to warn four now-dead customers of the hazards of a low head dam (weir).

Here's a short AP article:

Paddleboard guide who led 4 people to their deaths on Welsh river imprisoned for 10 years

A former Welsh police officer who led four people to their deaths in a paddleboarding tragedy in the U.K. has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.

apnews.com

Here's a longer BBC article on the details:

Haverfordwest paddleboard deaths: What lessons have been learnt?

As a woman is jailed, how did this tragedy happen and how can we prevent it happening again?

www.bbc.com

Here's an informative YouTube video, not of the deaths themselves, but showing the weir and how the owner descended it on a central fish ramp. She did not instruct the rest of the group to do that, nor did she explain the deathly retentive power of the hydraulic reversal at the base of the weir.

 

[MrPoling]

A harsh penalty, but her incompetence and negligence was staggering.

Also, weir = low head dam. This one is pretty nasty looking, and should not have been run by paddle boarders.

 

[billconner]

It seemed they might not have been wearing PFDs. I don't know how much that single part might make a difference in this situation.

I don't believe the punishment would have been near the same in US.

 

[Tryin']

From the BBC:

What went wrong?

In December 2022 the MAIB published a report on the tragedy aimed at preventing future incidents. It found:

The tour leaders were qualified to teach stand-up paddleboarding to beginners and novices in benign conditions but not lead tours on fast-flowing rivers

The paddleboarders lost their lives because the leaders were unaware of the treacherous conditions at the weir. They had not visited the weir before setting off so were unaware of the high river level and tidal conditions

They did not heed a flood alert which was in force at the time of the incident

The participants were not briefed on the presence of the weir or how to descend it

The group did not heed a sign close to their launch point which warned users the weir was dangerous and advised them to exit the river and carry their craft around it

The use of personal protective equipment such as clothing, buoyancy aids and leashes was inconsistent across the group

The group did not follow recognised advice that stand-up paddleboarders on fast-flowing water should wear a quick release waist leash and a personal flotation device. At Lloyd's sentencing Mrs Justice Stacey said: "The ankle leashes attached to the boards of those stuck in the hydraulic spin, which are totally unsuitable for fast-flowing water, made it even harder for them to get free."

Lloyd had not produced a written risk assessment for the trip

The competency of tour members who had not been previous customers of the Salty Dog Co Ltd were not assessed

Participants were not required to complete a legal disclaimer, medical declarations, or provide emergency contact details before starting the tour which delayed the police contacting the families of those who had died

It also said there was inconsistent governance of paddleboarding across the UK and no recognised national standards for training

 

[MrPoling]

Im guess every dam is different, but we had an incident here a few years ago where a group of tubers washed over a dam around dusk. The survivors were stuck in the hydraulic until mid-morning the next day, clinging to their tubes overnight.

It is hard to tell, maybe with PFD nobody would have flushed to safety. Maybe they all would have floated in the hole until they were rescued. Maybe they would have all drowned.

Regardless, it was stunning hubris to lead a group into a marked low head dam.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

From the BBC:

What went wrong?

In December 2022 the MAIB published a report on the tragedy aimed at preventing future incidents. It found:

The tour leaders were qualified to teach stand-up paddleboarding to beginners and novices in benign conditions but not lead tours on fast-flowing rivers

The paddleboarders lost their lives because the leaders were unaware of the treacherous conditions at the weir. They had not visited the weir before setting off so were unaware of the high river level and tidal conditions

They did not heed a flood alert which was in force at the time of the incident

The participants were not briefed on the presence of the weir or how to descend it

The group did not heed a sign close to their launch point which warned users the weir was dangerous and advised them to exit the river and carry their craft around it

The use of personal protective equipment such as clothing, buoyancy aids and leashes was inconsistent across the group

The group did not follow recognised advice that stand-up paddleboarders on fast-flowing water should wear a quick release waist leash and a personal flotation device. At Lloyd's sentencing Mrs Justice Stacey said: "The ankle leashes attached to the boards of those stuck in the hydraulic spin, which are totally unsuitable for fast-flowing water, made it even harder for them to get free."

Lloyd had not produced a written risk assessment for the trip

The competency of tour members who had not been previous customers of the Salty Dog Co Ltd were not assessed

Participants were not required to complete a legal disclaimer, medical declarations, or provide emergency contact details before starting the tour which delayed the police contacting the families of those who had died

It also said there was inconsistent governance of paddleboarding across the UK and no recognised national standards for training

I have mixed feelings about the punishment, but if all that is true it wreaks of gross negligence. I can understand the court having little respect for the person who misrepresents himself or herself as an expert guide for profit and causes such an accident.

 

[ppine]

Some people refuse to believe that low head dam is a dangerous drowning machine. You can tell them 10x.

Years ago I was rafting the Truckee River in April during spring snowmelt. My friend brought a small 12 foot Achilles that I sold to him because it was too small. He pumped up the raft and put it in the cold water and the air contracted. He refused to top off the raft. I told him to portage the low head dam about 10 miles downstream. I lined around it and my friends decided to run it after drinking a bunch of beer. The raft tacoed and filled with water with 4 occupants. They got stuck in the reversal and the woody debris in the outwash thumped the bottom of the raft. We were able to throw them a line get them out of the perfect reversal. The two women in the boat quit the sport right there and walked to the take out.

 

[Gamma1214]

The two women in the boat quit the sport right there and walked to the take out.

That's a shame but near-death experiences can certainly have that effect and there's not many places that you realize the power of water like getting caught in a hydraulic.

At the same time, I can't help looking at dams and waterfalls and seeing if I can find a good line. "Niagara Falls? Looks like there's some ledges I could hop down on RR of the US side and then, maybe, find a way through that bony section at the bottom... If I could just see into the mist well enough to know what the middle looks like..." (probably need float bags and lots of bubble wrap & duct tape too)

 

[memaquay]

That's very interesting. There have been a few canoe tragedies in Canada where children have died, and no charges resulted. One of the worst recent ones was a group of Girl Guides who went to a park on the North Channel of lake Huron. It was too cold and windy, so the leaders decided to take the 9 to 11 year old girls in canoes in 30 kph winds....on Lake Huron. The outcome was as expected and two children died. The headers were not qualified and never should have had those children near the water. The result was 40 recommendations from the Coroner, but no charges. Same with the teacher who took a bunch of kids to Algonquian park, and one of them ended up drowning. 15 of the 30 students had failed the swim test, but he took them anyway. The kid who drowned had failed the swim test. No one was supervising the swimmers. They should have had life jackets on at least. The fella was taken to court, but found not guilty.

Hopefully this decision will transfer a message to Canada.

 

[Odyssey]

Education leading to preventative measures from all sides was totally absent, from adult participants, to "leader", to waterway stewards.

 

[gumpus]

My personal take-away is that this is yet another example showing that danger may go UP dramatically when there is a trip leader involved.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

My personal take-away is that this is yet another example showing that danger may go UP dramatically when there is a trip leader involved.

Interesting take. One might add that this danger increases when that leader has a profit motive to put total novices on dangerous waterways.

People can get injured or die in lots of freak ways on canoe trips, long or short. However, I find it totally incredible, and indeed the height of intentional recklessness and disregard for life, for a trip leader to expect total novices to be able to control a paddleboard in such a precise manner in current as to run a narrow fish ramp over a deadly low head dam.

 

[Odyssey]

Lazy litigious society we live in. Find an easy scapegoat and sue. Have an official investigation to appease the masses and then promptly shelve the results. There were slack-jawed innocents all avoiding responsibilty for themselves and others. But let's cherry pick instead.

 

[Odyssey]

BTW, that "fish ramp" is a sluice for paddlers, common in Europe.
What's really alarming is the absence of lined buoys across the dam current.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

BTW, that "fish ramp" is a sluice for paddlers, common in Europe.

I find that very difficult to believe and would request that you support that claim with authority and evidence.

The BBC article linked in the OP repeatedly calls the ramp a "fish pass" and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report specifically found that: "The group did not heed a sign close to their launch point which warned users the weir was dangerous and advised them to exit the river and carry their craft around it."

It has been common for centuries in Europe to incorporate into weirs what are called fishways, fish cannons, fish sluices, fish ladders, fish siphons, fish ramps and other related terms. You can read about these in Wikipedia or academic articles such as this one, which argues in favor of cobbled bottoms on ramped European weirs instead of the older smooth bottom designs for easier fish ascent.

 

[Odyssey]

I find that very difficult to believe and would request that you support that claim with authority and evidence.

The BBC article linked in the OP repeatedly calls the ramp a "fish pass" and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report specifically found that: "The group did not heed a sign close to their launch point which warned users the weir was dangerous and advised them to exit the river and carry their craft around it."

It has been common for centuries in Europe to incorporate into weirs what are called fishways, fish cannons, fish sluices, fish ladders, fish siphons, fish ramps and other related terms. You can read about these in Wikipedia or academic articles such as this one, which argues in favor of cobbled bottoms on ramped European weirs instead of the older smooth bottom designs for easier fish ascent.

Kindly park your obtuse defensive speak and do a little more research.

 

[Punkinhead]

Lazy litigious society we live in. Find an easy scapegoat and sue. Have an official investigation to appease the masses and then promptly shelve the results. There were slack-jawed innocents all avoiding responsibilty for themselves and others. But let's cherry pick instead.

The victims were being responsible - they hired a guide.

 

[Odyssey]

No they weren't, sadly deferring to another "authority" was merely being trusting and lax.
This sounds like victim blaming, but in this day and age, how is it that internet savy peeps cannot do due diligence?

 

[gumpus]

Interesting take. One might add that this danger increases when that leader has a profit motive to put total novices on dangerous waterways.

People can get injured or die in lots of freak ways on canoe trips, long or short. However, I find it totally incredible, and indeed the height of intentional recklessness and disregard for life, for a trip leader to expect total novices to be able to control a paddleboard in such a precise manner in current as to run a narrow fish ramp over a deadly low head dam.

My comment is just based on my own personal experience. I have experienced dangers on organized paddles that would never have come up solo...and 99.9% of my paddling is solo so I am extremely leery of trip leaders. I think there's a natural tendency to put too much faith in the trip leader and let your guard down. At least when I let my guard down solo I know who to blame. I've also seen folks get arrogant and bossy about being a trip leader like it has some special status where my take might be just shut up and try to be helpful. Of course there are many fine trip leaders out there.

Totally agree that a profit motive adds danger. There was talk of putting a kayak rental place on the St Joseph River near me and I don't know the status but if I hear anything again I'll be quite active with the media because the river is totally unsuitable for rentals and someone will die for sure.

 

[ppine]

The worst situations I have been in on Class IV and V rapids have all been with guides. People have a false sense of security.
I quit doing really dangerous rapids after that.