A grandfather and former miner has relived the terrifying moments he was swallowed by the ground beneath him into a 30ft sinkhole at a Cornwall holiday park. What should have been a relaxing last day of his Cornwall holiday ended in a nightmare for Ian Haynes.
The 62-year-old feared his life was over in July, when he plunged what he estimates was around four storeys into the water below at Higher Trevaskis Caravan and Camping Park in Connor Downs, near Hayle. His car remained precariously positioned above him.
‘I thought, you’re gone, mate’
“I thought, ‘you’re gone, mate, your time is over’,” Ian recalled. He told CornwallLive: “I was near the door [of the car] and I just went through the concrete.
“You can imagine, I’m going down a hole, looking up and seeing a car wheel above my head and this hole is getting smaller and smaller.”
Ian said he managed to “grab a plank of wood” and pull himself to the side. Ian, from Nottinghamshire, waited around 55 minutes as a team of more than 60 emergency services personnel attempted to rescue him.
Emergency response and aftermath
The grandfather first noticed something was wrong when he realised that the ground beneath the front wheels of his car, which had been parked in the same space for the past fortnight, had dropped away. He called the owner of the site to come investigate and, as he stood near his car and the hole, waiting, it caved in and he fell through the sinkhole and into water.
While he said he felt the fall was over 100ft, the fire service said the depth of the sinkhole was about 30ft.
“My grandchildren were playing in that spot while we were on holiday and the caravan next door to us was two retired old ladies who had to walk past that spot to go to the toilet every day,” he added.
He escaped with only bruises and cuts but continues to suffer emotionally from PTSD. Despite the ordeal, he praised the park staff for being “incredibly caring and concerned.”
“I’m still suffering. At 4am, I jump out of bed feeling like I’m falling down the hole again.”
Official statements and site safety
A spokesperson for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: “Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service was called to Connor Downs, Hayle, on July 24 at around 6pm. Firefighters used line rescue equipment to rescue a casualty who was approximately 30ft down a sinkhole. The casualty was left in the care of the ambulance service.”
A spokesperson for Higher Trevaskis Caravan and Camping Park said: “We would like to thank everyone involved in the rescue and also the experts involved in making the site safe for our customers which is always our number one priority.
“An unrecorded, historical mining feature opened up in an isolated area of the park. Our emergency safety protocols were activated instantly, and the emergency services were called which lead to the rescue of a guest. The said guest was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises and given the all clear by the hospital, returning here soon after. Specialist engineers are already managing the permanent capping process.”
