Latest news with #ArmsRace
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Daily Record
Rock climber facing double leg amputation sues partner who 'let go of rope'
David Littlejohn is reportedly suing Shane Williams for £1million compensation after the accident. A climber who may be forced to have both legs amputated and broke his neck, has blamed his partner for allegedly letting go of the rope. David Littlejohn, 55, is reportedly suing Shane Williams for £1million compensation following the accident at Avon Gorge, Bristol, in May, 2023. He broke his sternum, pelvis and feet after falling down a 56 feet rock face. They were taking part in a climb known as the Arms Race when he put his weight on the rope under the impression that Mr Williams had a firm grip on it, reports the Mirror. And he claims that his climbing partner let go of the rope without telling him, with the result that he went crashing down the rock face. Two years on from the accident and Mr Littlejohn still has constant back pain, his orthopaedic surgeon reportedly told a court, and he may need to have both legs amputated if reconstructive surgery on his feet does not work out. Mr Littlejohn also claims that he suffers from anxiety and depression as well as panic attacks since his fall. Documents presented to the High Court allege that he is only able to walk using a four-wheel aid. He is also said that he trusted Mr Williams as capable as he was a member of The Climbers Club, where members must be proposed and then seconded before they can join. In the court documents he alleges that Mr Williams failed to have 'due regard for his personal safety' and act in accordance with his experience as a competent amateur climber. Mr Littlejohn, of Lymsham, near Weston-super-Mare, told The Telegraph: 'I hope this will be resolved quickly given the serious impact of my severe injuries on me, my family and my work life.' Stephanie Clarke of Stewarts Law, Mr Littlejohn's solicitor, states in the claim: 'The Defendant had let go of the rope or otherwise taken the Claimant off belay where it had not been clearly and unequivocally communicated by the Claimant as leader that this was required.' Mr Williams's legal team at Browne Jacobson solicitors have yet to file a defence against the claim with the court. Browne Jacobson has been contacted for a statement. It comes after a rock climber who plunged around 400ft down a mountain somehow hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a pay phone to call for help. Anton Tselykh, 38, survived the ordeal against all odds as, despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, he staggered for more than 12 hours to the pay phone. He was desperate to call for help for his three companions; Vishnu Irigireddy, Tim Nguyen and Oleksander Martynenko, who also fell down the steep terrain in North Cascades National Park in Washington, United States. The three friends sadly died of their injuries. Anton managed to extricate himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment to leave on his rescue mission on Saturday. He is now in hospital receiving treatment for various injuries, including the head wound. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Climber who fell 56ft and may lose legs is suing partner who 'let go of rope'
David Littlejohn, 55, suffered horrific injuries after falling down a 56 feet ravine at Avon Gorge, Bristol, and he is now suing his climbing partner Shane Williams for £1million in compensation A climber who broke his neck and may be forced to have both legs amputated blames his partner for allegedly letting go of the rope. David Littlejohn, 55, is reportedly suing Shane Williams for £1million compensation following the accident at Avon Gorge, Bristol, in May, 2023. He broke his sternum, pelvis and feet after falling down a 56 feet rock face. They were taking part in a climb known as the Arms Race when he put his weight on the rope under the impression that Mr Williams had a firm grip on it. And he claims that his climbing partner let go of the rope without telling him, with the result that he went crashing down the rock face. Two years on from the accident and Mr Littlejohn still has constant back pain, his orthopaedic surgeon reportedly told a court, and he may need to have both legs amputated if reconstructive surgery on his feet does not work out. Mr Littlejohn also claims that he suffers from anxiety and depression as well as panic attacks since his fall. Documents presented to the High Court allege that he is only able to walk using a four-wheel aid. He is also said that he trusted Mr Williams as capable as he was a member of The Climbers Club, where members must be proposed and then seconded before they can join. In the court documents he alleges that Mr Williams failed to have 'due regard for his personal safety' and act in accordance with his experience as a competent amateur climber. Mr Littlejohn, of Lymsham, near Weston-super-Mare, told The Telegraph: 'I hope this will be resolved quickly given the serious impact of my severe injuries on me, my family and my work life.' Stephanie Clarke of Stewarts Law, Mr Littlejohn's solicitor, states in the claim: 'The Defendant had let go of the rope or otherwise taken the Claimant off belay where it had not been clearly and unequivocally communicated by the Claimant as leader that this was required.' Mr Williams's legal team at Browne Jacobson solicitors have yet to file a defence against the claim with the court. The Mirror has contacted Browne Jacobson for a statement. It comes after a rock climber who plunged around 400ft down a mountain somehow hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a pay phone to call for help. Anton Tselykh, 38, survived the ordeal against all odds as, despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, he staggered for more than 12 hours to the pay phone. He was desperate to call for help for his three companions; Vishnu Irigireddy, Tim Nguyen and Oleksander Martynenko, who also fell down the steep terrain in North Cascades National Park in Washington, United States. The three friends sadly died of their injuries. Anton managed to extricate himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment to leave on his rescue mission on Saturday. He is now in hospital receiving treatment for various injuries, including the head wound.
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- NZ Herald
UK climber who broke neck in fall sues partner for ‘letting go of rope'
Littlejohn claimed he thought Williams was a competent and experienced rock climber because he was part of the Climbers Club, a senior rock-climbing association where members have to be proposed and seconded before they can join. In documents lodged with the High Court, Littlejohn alleged Williams negligently failed to have 'due regard for his personal safety' and failed to act in accordance with his experience as a competent amateur climber. Littlejohn spent four months in Southmead Hospital, where he underwent three surgeries for his injuries. Since the accident, Littlejohn claims he has suffered from anxiety, depressed mood, irritability and panic attacks, and has constant pain in both feet. The documents claim he is able to walk with a four-wheeled walker, but struggles with stairs and simple day-to-day activities. He also claimed he would be unable to commute if he did not work from home. Littlejohn told the Telegrap h: 'I hope this will be resolved quickly given the serious impact of my severe injuries on me, my family, and my work life.' Both men were members of a WhatsApp group for climbers in the Bristol area and had seen each other climb at a crag called Uphill Quarry, on a route only achievable with a high degree of experience. On the day of the accident, the pair had successfully tackled a climb called Yellow Edge, graded an extremely severe three, and used the climbing calls 'climb when ready', 'climbing', 'safe' and 'off belay'. A partnership of trust To make the initial ascent, the leader is harnessed to a rope to go first up a rock face, while his companion, the belayer, passes the rope through a belay device and either gently releases the rope, which allows the leader to climb, or holds the rope tightly to prevent him from falling. The leader then attaches a carabiner to a drilled bolt or to metal chocks or camming devices placed in cracks in the rock. At the top of the climb, the leader secures himself to the rock face and can then be lowered back to the ground by the belayer, or if the latter wants to climb up too, the former secures himself to the rock face and calls 'safe' and then 'off belay' – at which point he is unprotected from falls. After tackling Yellow Edge, Littlejohn and Williams abseiled down a section called the Ramp to climb the 17m tall Arms Race. Williams went first. He climbed about 12m before he was too exhausted to continue. After he was belayed back to the Ramp, Littlejohn decided to climb using the equipment put in the rocks by his companion. He climbed a little higher than Williams before falling about 2m, but was held by Williams' belay, the documents claimed. Littlejohn said he then rested on the rope, inserted more equipment into the rock, and managed to climb onto a small ledge at the top, where he secured himself to two metal bolts called maillons. He called out to confirm his action but did not use the word 'safe' and Williams did not say 'off belay', the claim added. Littlejohn, expecting Williams to belay him back down, claims he leant back to put his weight on the rope, but his partner had let go of the rope. He then fell from the top of the Arms Race onto the Ramp and part way down the cliff below. Stephanie Clarke of Stewarts Law, Littlejohn's solicitor, states in the claim: 'The defendant had let go of the rope or otherwise taken the claimant off belay where it had not been clearly and unequivocally communicated by the claimant as leader that this was required'. Littlejohn, of Lymsham, near Weston-super-Mare, alleges Williams, of Send, Woking, Surrey, was negligent, saying he failed to wait for the command of safe before taking him off belay, failed to continue to use or wait for consistent verbal commands, and took him off belay unnecessarily. Williams' legal team at Browne Jacobson solicitors have yet to file a defence against the claim with the court. They declined to comment.
