A New Zealand water sports company has been ordered to pay the family of a British girl who drowned during one of the company´s river excursions 80,000 NZ dollars in extreme sports injury compensation after they were found to have breached health and safety regulations.
Emily Jordan (21) of Trimpley in Worcestershire died in a tragic accident while river boarding on the Kawarau River near Queenstown in April 2008. The board to which she was attached became trapped beneath a rock while Emily was riding through the rapids and she drowned before help could reach her.
Judges at Queenstown District Court set the extreme sports injury compensation after hearing that Emily and her boyfriend, Jonny Armour, had not been warned about the risks of being trapped under rocks and that no rope had been provided to assist water boarders who got into difficulty.
A sports injury compensation claim was made against the company organising the event – Black Sheep Adventures – after they admitted failing to ensure the safety of their customers. The company was also fined 66,000 NZ dollars and told to get their safety plan up to industry standards.