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

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:


Here's a longer BBC article on the details:


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.

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.

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.

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

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.