Riverboarding in the dock

New Zealand extreme sports firm ordered to pay out for death

A New Zealand extreme sports company which came under scrutiny following the death of a British tourist has been ordered to pay £33,500 compensation.

Mad Dog River Boarding has been ordered to pay compensation to the family of 21-year -old Emily Jordan who died while river boarding along rapids in the Kawarau River near Queenstown last April. Director Brad McLeod and Black Sheep Adventures Ltd were charged under New Zealand's health and safety legislation after the firm's safety plans were found to be below industry standards.

The court heard how the company had failed to carry rescue ropes and that Jordan, from Worcestershire, could have been saved had a rope been available. The tragedy happened on 29 August 2008 when Jordan became trapped beneath a rock. A guide reached her within 30 seconds and other guides attempted to release her from the river but they were unsuccessful. Another river boarding company provided a rescue rope after Jordan had been underwater for about 20 minutes but attempts to revive her failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jordan's boyfriend Jonny Armour had been travelling with her in New Zealand and told the court they had not been warned about this risk. But the operations manager in charge of the trip, Nigel Kendrick, told the court he had navigated the river 2,000 times with 25,000 customers and there had never been a serious incident involving the rock Jordan was trapped under.

Prosecutor Brent Stanaway argued that the group should not have been taken into the river as the water flowed at only 84 cubic metres a second, exposing rocks that normally would have been covered with water.

Black Sheep Adventures Ltd, which admitted two health and safety charges, was also fined £27,600. Jordan's family plan to continue campaigning for extreme sports to be made safer.