Woman drowned on her first pothole trip

6:33am Friday 16th May 2008

A woman drowned on her first pot-holing expedition as she tried to escape from surging flood water, an inquest heard.

Caroline Jane Fletcher, 28, of Riddlesden, and experienced caver Stuart John Goodwill, 33, perished in Lower Long Churn Pot, near Selside in the Yorkshire Dales.

Their bodies were found roped together by members of the Clapham-based Cave Rescue Organisation in the early hours of Friday, December 28. They had drowned in the cave system after being trapped by rising flood water.

The pair were employed by Skipton company JN Bentley and its subsidiary Mott MacDonald Bentley, Mr Goodwill as an engineer and Miss Fletcher as a process engineer.

Mr Goodwill's wife of three years, Claire, had raised the alarm after he failed to return to their Darlington home.

At yesterday's inquest in Skipton, Dave Gallivan, duty controller with the Cave Rescue Organisation, told Coroner Geoff Fell: "That cave system is one of the best-known in the country and reacts very quickly to flood water, but levels also drop quickly.

"There would have been time to sit it out, but in my opinion, and for whatever reason, I think they tried to get to the exit."

Mr Gallivan said he had examined the equipment and judged that the newness of some of it and the fact that some was hired, suggested it was Miss Fletcher's first attempt at potholing.

He also acknowledged that Mr Goodwill was a very experienced caver and competent enough to take a novice in the system.

Mr Gallivan said that when the Cave Rescue Organisation retrieved the bodies, they were roped together, suggesting they had attempted to cross the stream to get from the lower ox-bow passageway to the higher ox-bow and then to the exit.

He said they could have been hit by a flood pulse and one of them may have lost their footing, taking both of them downstream.

"Because of the volume of water they would have drowned," he said.

Mr Fell read a statement from Mr Goodwill's widow which said he always told her where he was going and made contact before he entered a cave and also when he came out.

She said on this occasion he set off to go caving at 10am. She asked what time he would be back and he said around 9pm.

"He did not tell me where he was going and was in a rush. I thought he had gone with his friend Daz," she added.

Mrs Goodwill rang his friend when her husband did not come home and also her husband's parents who said they thought he had gone to Yordas Pot - near Ingleton.

She rang the police who got in touch with the CRO. The CRO went to the pothole and when no vehicles were found they made a search of the area and found the cavers at Selside in the early hours of the morning.

Recording a verdict of accidental death on both victims, Mr Fell said: "Whether they should have gone down the cave in the first place is another matter. Mr Gallivan would say not and I have to agree."

Editor's choice