Unlit path led to serious fall

Monday 9 August 2004

The injuries suffered by a Waikanae woman who fell down a bank at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club could have been avoided through the simple act of ensuring an outside light had been turned on.

The golf club has been ordered to pay $9000 in reparation to the woman, who fractured her left leg and right hip after she fell more than 1m down a bank on to the green. She had been leaving a Paekakariki Surf Lifesaving Club function at the course clubhouse last November when the accident happened.

There were no lights on outside, and the woman had difficulty distinguishing the pathway to the carpark and strayed off an unprotected path, falling down the bank. The injuries she suffered left her in hospital for a total of six weeks, and she needed three operations.

The Department of Labour's occupational safety and health service investigated the accident, and found that while the club did have outside lights, they weren't turned on at the time.

OSH service manager for Wellington-Kapiti Rob Scriven said the outside lights were on a timer to come on in the evening, but the staff member responsible failed to set the timer that day. “No one checked to see that the timer had been correctly set, and no other staff had after-hours access to the timer, which was in the Pro Shop. This accident could have been avoided had the woman been able to see where she was going.”

Mr Scriven said that after the accident, the golf club erected a fence on the path's edge, and relocated the lighting timer from the Pro Shop to inside the administration area so that it could be accessed by staff at all times.

“The club acted quickly to ensure this kind of accident wouldn't happen again, which is great, but it really shouldn't have happened in the first place.

“Ending up in hospital for weeks is not the perfect end to a fun evening out.”

The golf club pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to ensure the woman's safety and was sentenced in the Porirua District Court on 6 August to pay reparation. No fine was imposed.

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