Two companies have been charged with corporate manslaughter following a fatal boating incident at Roadford Lake in 2022 that claimed the lives of two wheelchair users. The charges come more than four years after the tragedy.
Emergency services were called to the lake on June 8 2022 after a Wheelyboat – a recreational craft modified for wheelchair users – capsized. The boat was carrying a group on a day trip from Burdon Grange Care Home in Beaworthy.
Six people were thrown into the water. Wheelchair users Alex Wood, 43, and Alison 'Ali' Tilsley, 63, both from West Devon, died. A woman in her 50s was also seriously injured.
Investigation findings
A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) stated that the victims were strapped into their motorised wheelchairs and were “dragged to the bottom of the lake and drowned”. Investigators found the Wheelyboat had not been correctly maintained.
Seals on a ramp were not subjected to a regular inspection and had degraded. This allowed water to leak into the boat and make it unstable, leading to its capsize. The MAIB said Roadford Lake Activity Centre, which hired out the vessel to the care home, had not fully identified the risks or understood the “unique needs” of operating it.
Charges brought
An update on the Devon and Cornwall Police website on Tuesday October 6 confirmed two organisations have now been charged with corporate manslaughter following the fatal boating incident.
The press release reads: “Burdon Grange Care Home and South West Lakes Trust, based in Bude, have each been charged by postal requisition with corporate manslaughter and an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
“The care home has been charged with an offence under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, relating to an alleged failure to ensure, as far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees.
“The Trust has been charged with an offence under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, relating to an alleged failure to conduct its undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons not in its employment were not exposed to risks to their health or safety.”
Court hearing scheduled
The first court hearing will take place at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Wednesday November 11. The charges follow a lengthy and complex investigation led by Devon and Cornwall Police alongside the Health and Safety Executive and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
