Woman who fell from elevated monkey during Bear Grylls race loses damages lawsuit
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A woman who suffered serious leg and shoulder injuries when she fell from an “elevated monkey ring obstacle” during a Bear Grylls Survival Race has lost a High Court damages fight.
Margot Harrison, now 59, sued the race organiser and a subcontractor after getting hurt during the event in Enfield, north London, in October 2016 when she was 54.
She claimed they “failed to take reasonable care for her safety”.
Intuitive Business Consultants and Big Bang Promotions International disputed her claim and “firmly denied” liability and causation.
Ruling
Judge Jeremy Freedman has now concluded the accident was “not occasioned by any fault on the part of the defendants”.
He outlined his decision in a ruling published on Thursday after considering evidence at an online High Court trial in July.
He said: “This was a most unfortunate accident resulting in very serious injuries. It goes without saying that the claimant is deserving of much sympathy.
“I am satisfied, however, that her accident and the resultant injuries were not occasioned by any fault on the part of the defendants.
“Accidents of this type are an inherent risk of participation in activities such as obstacle races; and no amount of care and vigilance on the part of the organisers and planners of such events can eliminate the possibility of such risks materialising from time to time.”
The judge said Harrison was aware of a risk and had signed an “indemnity”.
He added: “The claimant elected to participate in the Bear Grylls race and, whilst, of course, she did not expect to suffer any injury when doing so, nevertheless, it was a risk of which she was well aware when she registered for the event and signed the indemnity.
“Her confidence in her ability to complete this obstacle was not misplaced; it was simply a matter of grave misfortune that she was the victim of a serious accident.”
Most participants fell
The judge said most participants had fallen off the monkey rings at some stage, and went on: “The vast majority, of course, suffered no injury but, in the end, it is a matter of chance as to how well or badly an individual may land on the ground.”
Grylls, a television personality and former SAS soldier, is described on his own website as “one of the most recognised faces of survival and outdoor adventure”.
He did not feature personally in the judge’s ruling.
A “message from Bear Grylls” on the beargryllssurvivalrace.com website says: “The Bear Grylls Survival Race is not designed to be a one-off event – it is a starting point on a great journey to a stronger, healthier, more determined, and more battle-hardened you.
“If you can complete and conquer one of our events, then you will have earned the right to call yourself a BG survivor.”