‘I don’t know when I’ll be able to walk’
Fall victim recalls freak accident as WorkSafe confirms investigation
The victim of an accident at New Zealand’s largest indoor climbing venue has spoken of her horror the moment she realised she had stepped off an 8-metre wall without being clipped on to the safety system.
Grace Thompson, 26, fell shattering most of the bones in both feet and part of her spine — then found out a 9-year-old child suffered a similar fate just weeks later.
Documents created by Extreme Edge, in Panmure, between the first and second falls show the company considered the event could happen again on an “occasional” basis and suggested changes to improve safety.
Owner Nico Buik has told the Weekend Herald safety changes were made — after the second accident.
A WorkSafe spokesman said it has opened an investigation into Extreme Edge Ltd, which, he said, had been investigated on a previous occasion.
Thompson was new to the sport of climbing and on her third visit in two weeks when she stepped off Extreme Edge’s speed wall on June 24.
She and her partner had climbed for about an hour when they approached the speed wall, on which climbers compete against a clock to reach the top.
The wall uses an auto-belay system for safety, which automatically arrests a climber’s fall, gently lowering them to the ground.
Thompson said the safety rope attached to the auto belay system was stored to the side of the wall away from the base of the climb.
She considered it a design fault because people approaching the wall to climb could become distracted and not clip on to the rope.
“There’s room for mistakes and forgetfulness.
“That’s what happened to me.” Thompson had watched her partner race to the top, registered his time and waited as he stepped off the wall, allowing the auto-belay system to gently lower him to the ground.
Thompson then approached the wall to start her own race to the top and believed she was clipped in when she stomped the pedal at the base of the wall to start the clock and began her climb.
“I climbed to the top, hit the buzzer and jumped off. I didn’t realise until I was halfway down — ‘when’s this auto-belay kicking in?’ I jumped straight down and landed on my feet.”
The point at which Thompson stepped off the wall was about 8 metres above what she estimated was a 20mm foam mat over concrete flooring. The next day passed in a blur of increasing pain and medication to dull it. “I was screaming for six hours and nothing was doing much,” she said. At one point, she fell asleep during a scan while dosed on morphine, stopped breathing and needed to be revived by hospital staff.
Bones in Thompson’s left foot had shattered. “There wasn’t really a heel any more.” On her right foot, the primary horizontal bone had become vertical, breaking others or dragging them along. Her back is now braced with six screws. She was told she faced at least three months in a wheelchair.
“I don’t know when I’ll be able to walk,” she said. It’s unlikely to be until the end of the year, she was told, and even then it’s unclear how well, or how long, she would be able to stay on her feet.
The physical injury derailed life plans. Thompson was about to start a new job planning and running events. She was also about to move into a new flat in central Auckland.
The job is now on hold and she has doubts over how she will return to a profession that has her on her feet and moving for much of the working day. And she’s moving back in with her parents.
Thompson initially considered the accident was her oversight — then learned of a 9-year-old who required surgery after becoming
injured at the speed wall. The Weekend Herald has independently confirmed the child’s injury.
Thompson now questions if safety systems and supervision were sufficient, and whether she received training on the auto-belay system.
She sought to learn more by using the Privacy Act to get details relating to her accident from Extreme Edge.
The company documents included an incident report that described the potential for injury as “very serious” and, in response to a question as to how often it could happen again, the option “occasional” was selected.
A “Hazard Assessment Form” was also released in which Extreme Edge staff said it was the first fall in that area.
The form said: “Climber was too excited, wanting to beat partner time. If we removed the timer . . . this may not have happened, though then the activity would not be present. More signage, we seem to not have this problem before but will be adding in moving forward.”
It also said there should be “more attention-grabbing straps for the Auto Belay”.
The form recorded Thompson as having received training, including on the auto-belay system, but noted it only had “verbal confirmation” from her that she had done so. In contrast, Extreme Edge’s database showed she had received belay training.
The records showed Thompson had signed a waiver form. A copy provided to the Herald from Thompson’s Privacy Act request showed it included the statement: “Your feet must be no higher than 1.5m off the ground if you are not attached to a rope.”
The waiver form also stated Thompson was aware climbing activities came with “an inherent and unavoidable risk of injury” and “there is the possibility of bodily injury or death to myself or others”.
Buik said Thompson had completed training, which meant she was cleared to climb all walls except those reserved for experienced climbers.
He said Thompson’s accident came after “she sadly does not attach the auto belay to her harness before climbing to the top and letting go”.
“This is the most serious accident I am aware of in my climbing gym after 25 years of operation.”
He said he had considered it an “isolated incident” and that WorkSafe cleared the wall for opening after the accident.
Buik said after the “second accident” there were “red triangular mats in front of the climbs as well as extra signage”.
“I don’t think that we waited too long to place them as they will not guarantee an accident-free wall.
“Human error can be unpredictable and every injury I am aware of at my climbing gym over 25 years has been human error. We are very successful in minimising human error and our impressive safety record is testament to this.”
He said a large range of sports involved risk and while staff were trained to monitor climber safety, “we can’t be everywhere at once”.
He said training and monitoring systems were regularly reviewed.
He said the previous inquiry by WorkSafe in 2015 was “a completely different set of circumstances and approximately half a million checkins have occurred since then”.