Adventure Company in Court After Bungy Accident

A Hanmer bungy jump operator was today ordered to pay $40,000 in fines and reparations after an Australian tourist was seriously injured while bungy jumping in May last year.

The Rangiora District Court heard that Thrillseekers Adventures Limited had already paid the victim more than $18,000 in reparations.

On 7 May 2010 an Australian tourist slipped out of the bungy ankle straps during a jump and fell between six and 12 metres to the riverbed below sustaining serious injuries.

She suffered a torn spleen, lacerations to her forehead, a fractured left shoulder on the same side as a 30cm laceration from her shoulder to her wrist and general bruising. She was in hospital for two and a half weeks and her shoulder was dislocated due to muscle deterioration, which affected her mobility. She needs ongoing medical treatment and possible surgery.

“The company went though all their procedures and each step was double checked but they were well aware of the hazard that the ankle straps could slip off and did nothing to minimise or eliminate the hazard – which is unacceptable,” says Department of Labour Christchurch Service Manager, Margaret Radford.

“The company could, and should have made sure a backup system was worn in addition to the ankle strapping – this would have prevented this terrible accident. The company now requires jumpers to wear a full body harness.

“The tourist is extremely lucky to be alive which could so easily not have been the case,” Ms Radford says.

At the time of the accident Thrillseekers was the only one of eight bungy sites in the country that didn’t either have a secondary support available for jumpers or do a risk assessment to determine if the jumper needed a secondary support or should not jump.

Following a review of adventure tourism operations in New Zealand, the Department is developing regulations that will require most adventure and outdoor tourism operators, including bungy operators, to be registered. As part of this registration process they will be required to pass a safety audit.

These regulations will come into force on 1 October this year and will be implemented over time.