Doc’s ‘panic’ just before drowning

A Christchurch doctor who drowned while training for the Coast to Coast was inexperienced at river crossings and panicked before being swept downstream.

Isabel Rivett, 32, drowned after being swept down the Deception River, near Otira, during a group training run on January 3, 2016. She was training for the Coast to Coast to be held in February that year.

Coroner David Robinson investigated her death and, in his just-released findings, noted Rivett had no prior experience on the route or of river crossings of this nature.

‘‘She was, however, a fit and able runner who had previously run off trail.’’

A Mountain Safety Council (MSC) report, presented to the coroner, criticised a lack of discussion by the group before crossing the rivers on the training run.

It also criticised the techniques they used.

Rivett and her companions set out on a route from the Morrison footbridge, down the Deception Valley, past a Department of Conservation (DOC) Hut, then down the Mingha River to Klondyke.

The Christchurch doctor and two of the women in her group ran into trouble during the day’s third river crossing. Rivett was described as ‘‘starting to panic’’.

‘‘She was breathing heavily, and was swearing. She was saying that she was fine, and was telling herself to keep calm,’’ one of her companion’s observed.

The three women fell into the water towards the end of the river crossing.

Two made it out of the water, but Rivett was swept downstream and was eventually found face up, bent backwards over rocks.

Coroner Robinson said: ‘‘The lack of experience and location were contributing factors in my view, but were not of themselves solely causative.’’

‘‘MSC consider ... that the Deception River was not an ideal location for someone to learn river crossing techniques,’’ Robinson said.

The MSC report said it would have been prudent for the group to cross together. Instead, two men on the training run crossed ahead of the women.

Robinson found: ‘‘It is considered that the collective strength and stability of the group would allow for the safe navigation of each crossing.

‘‘I consider that observation to be fair, noting that this was not a group who had previously trained together and, apart from brief discussions at the outset, the members of the group did not have any detailed experience of each other’s capabilities in difficult environments.

‘‘The report writers consider that had the group employed the mutual support technique using the strength and confidence of the collective group, ‘it is highly probable that they could have negotiated the river on each crossing’.’’

Robinson recommended Coast to Coast organisers and the MSC publicise the circumstances of Rivett’s death, the causative features identified and the MSC recommendations.

On Friday, Coast to Coast race director Glen Currie extended his team’s ‘‘sincere condolences’’ to Rivett’s friends and family.

Coast to Coast would comply with Coroner Robinson’s recommendations, Currie said.

Coast to Coast, the MSC and DOC introduced more safety measures for the area after Rivett’s death.

The measures included increased signage at the start of the walk, updated route descriptions for Te Araroa walkers and Coast to Coast athletes and online recommendations for people wanting to train on the course.