Loose boulder pins surfer
A Taranaki surfer who suffered a crushed leg and concussion when a loose beach boulder rolled on to her says she wants no one else to go through such a ‘‘horrendous’’ experience.
Last Wednesday, Monique Taylor went out surfing at a spot off the end of Wills Rd, Bell Block.
Taylor said the nice weather drew her out into the water, where she stayed for about an hour.
When she headed back in, she made her way up a retaining wall made of boulders, with her surfboard lodged under her right arm.
About halfway, Taylor said she used her left arm to help pull herself up, but a boulder became dislodged and rolled back on to her leg, pinning her down.
She fell backwards and hit her head, leaving her with a mild concussion.
She remembers dropping her surfboard and yelling out for help. Her neighbour, who was also out for a surf in the same spot, swam back in and came to her aid, holding up her body and providing her with reassurance that help was on the way.
Taylor said she was grateful for that as it kept her calm during what she described as a ‘‘pretty scary experience’’.
She was trapped by the boulder for about 30 minutes before emergency services arrived. Taylor said she could only recall snippets of this time as she thought she had slipped in and out of consciousness.
But one aspect of her ordeal was clear. ‘‘I remember the relief when the boulder came off my leg. I was shaking and in shock,’’ she said.
Two attending police officers helped move the boulder off her leg before she was carried in a basket stretcher by firefighters and taken to hospital.
While getting treatment, she had a CT scan to check her head injury before being released about 10 hours later.
Her leg was left with extensive swelling and bruising, and she is wearing a moon boot ahead of her next assessment to see what damage has been done.
‘‘I could feel that my foot was all twisted back,’’ she said. ‘‘It looked pretty horrendous.’’
Taylor said she was aware the boulders were ‘‘a bit unstable’’ and understood others had complained to New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) regarding safety concerns.
She said following the extension of the Coastal Walkway from New Plymouth to Bell Block, the area was a lot busier and she wanted council to consider putting up a warning sign to make sure what happened to her did not happen to others.
In a written statement, NPDC spokeswoman Jacqueline Baker said the council had not fielded complaints about the boulders.
‘‘We’re sorry to hear a surfer took a tumble, and we wish her a speedy recovery.
‘‘Climbing boulders on a public walkway is a personal choice, and we always encourage people to take care.’’
‘‘I could feel that my foot was all twisted back.’’
Monique Taylor