Pool should not have been used
THE training director of an adventure trust has told a fatal accident inquiry that the pool where a teenager plunged on to rocks and later died was not one that should have been used.
Barry Edmondson, the training director of the Abernethy Trust, told the inquiry at Kirkcudbright Sheriff Court it should have been obvious that the pool was not suitable for children.
He also told the inquiry that he did not know the 31ft gorge was being used.
Mr Edmondson was giving evidence Inquiry into the death of Laura McDairmant, 15, from Wetheral, Carlisle.
Laura plunged on to rocks at the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, a Galloway beauty spot, near Newton Stewart, in July 2006.
She was taking part in gorge jumping at one of two pools when she fell and died of her injuries 24 hours later in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Laura had been on an adventure holiday at one of the Abernethy Trust's outdoor centres at Barcaple, near Castle Douglas.
Mr Edmondson said he found it difficult to believe that David Pratt, the trust's operations director at the time of Laura's death, did not know that the pool where she fell was being used.
Earlier in the inquiry Mr Pratt said he was not aware that the pool the Grey Mare's Tail was being used.
Mr Edmondson said his reasons for finding the fact difficult to believe were because of discussions which usually took place about activities, which were often on video, and that there was feedback. He added that he always tried to get information from the children about how they had enjoyed it.
He said he constantly asked the children how their day had been but he added that there was nothing in the operations director's job description which made it a requirement for him to know what site was being used as long as the chief instructor had carried out the necessary safety arrangements.
Mr Edmondson said the primary responsibility was with the chief instructor although he admitted it ultimately fell back on the operations director.
He said the position had now changed and they had "moved the bar up".
"We need to know all the things that are going on and it obviously failed in 2006," he said, "I think everyone knew there was a pool jump being used but what pool and its height was not known. "We had no knowledge until Laura's accident about the height of the jump.
"Things have changed now and we have a list of all the sites that are used and we have risk assessments. Since 2006 I have been to every site we use to confirm that they are safe."
Mr Edmondson told procurator fiscal depute Scott Toal that he had been to the site since Laura's accident and if he had visited it before the accident he would not have let children use it.
"It would have been fairly clear that it was not suitable," he said, "There are other sites in other parts of the country with areas of a similar size but for our clients, this site was not one we should have been using.
"I think it should have been clear to others."
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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