Fossil hunter seeks compensation after rock fall injury
A fossil hunter is pursuing a compensation claim after he became badly injured in a seaside rock fall.
Dave McGowan, 41, was looking for and collecting fossils with his girlfriend along the shoreline at Seatown, near Bridport in Dorset, when rocks fell from the cliff above. The incident left his leg and ankle broken but he believes that he could have lost the bottom half of his leg if he hadn’t been protected by his walking boots.
The taxi driver from Bournemouth is now seeking compensation from whoever is responsible for the land. “I want to try and get compensation but it doesn’t look as if anybody cares,” he said. “I want to say to people ‘please don’t go down there’. Even if I don’t get compensation, the best thing I can do is to warn people.
He explained that the accident could have been avoided if warning signs had been erected in the area. He added: “If there were notices to say how dangerous it is and what you can expect, people wouldn’t go there. I wouldn’t have gone there.”
After receiving a letter from the victim, West Dorset County Council have said that it does not own the land. The Wraxall family, who has owned the beach at Seatown for three generations, has also said that the incident took place outside its land.
Mr McGowan claims the accident has ruined his life, as he might not be able to return to work and also fears that he may lose his home.
“I know it’s a bad time of year for taxi drivers anyway but I’ll lose about £5,000 in earnings,” he explained.
“I will be off work for four months but it could be more depending on how my leg heals – it might never heal and I might not be able to work again. The rent needs paying and I’ve got no money to pay it.”
However a spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has commented that “the cliffs and seashore are dangerous” at the location of the accident and that Mr McGowan should have been able to make “[his] own risk assessment,” regardless of the lack of notices or warning signs present at the scene.