National Grid employee Ben Walsh and his girlfriend Laura Taylor encountered difficulty in Gourock, Inverclyde, and they are now called for an investigation into what happened
Ben Walsh and Laura Taylor stopped for this romantic photo – and it was nearly their last.
The railing against which the couple was leaning collapsed – and left Ben dangling head-first above a 15-foot drop. He had to be pulled back to safety by his ankles by his terrified family, and two heroic strangers.
“I can’t thank the couple enough for running over and helping save my life. But I could easily have died. I couldn’t sleep that night from going over it all in my head,” Ben, 40, said today. His experience comes after a tsunami in Japan sent a gigantic wall of water smashing into the coast.
Ben and Laura, 38, recently posed for the scenic snap as they and his family strolled along the promenade in Gourock, Inverclyde during a motorbike tour of Scotland. Ben’s horror fall was captured on Laura’s phone as it happened.
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After the fall, the couple took a photograph of the broken banister. Ben, a training manager with the National Grid, says he is now seriously concerned about the safety of all the barriers in the area and called for an investigation.
“It was like a nightmare. We were all absolutely traumatised by it. Laura went forwards and I went backwards. I fell towards the edge but somehow managed to save myself by wrapping my leg round the pole,” Ben continued.
“My mum, dad and Laura were screaming for help and pulled me to safety with the help of two passers by running to help. They all somehow managed to pull me by the ankle to safety. The lady ran down to the bottom to try to do something if I fell. The adrenalin just kicked in and I somehow survived.”
The tourist, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, had stopped in Gourock to take in some sights before catching the ferry to Argyll during his family’s trip. Since Ben complained to the council, repairs of seafront railings in Gourock has started.
Ben added: “What concerns me the most is this railing appeared to have been welded recently. So a repair must have been carried out.
“It could have easily been an elderly person or a child. They might not have been so lucky. It is extremely lucky I managed to hold on and survived.
“We didn’t know what to do after it happened. We brought the rail back up, and we managed to find a traffic cone before we reported it. I work with health and safety every single day. This needs to be investigated.
“I applaud the councils quick reaction as they barriered the area off first thing the following morning. I saw similarly rotten, broken railings in Oban after I left Gourock. I have also read of similar things happening across the country, for example Devon.
“All I ask is that people are careful when they are posing for photographs this summer in similar locations. You wouldn’t expect an item which is there for your safety to be unsafe, but this proves it can happen.”
A spokesperson for Inverclyde Council, which has had no overall political control since Lib Dems’ loss in 2007, said: “We are aware of the incident and understand the concerns that have been raised.
“A programme of inspections and repairs of seafront railings is currently being carried out in the surrounding area, and more widely across Gourock, as part of our ongoing asset management responsibilities and commitment to public safety.
“A review is currently under way to determine the cause of the issue at this location and to ensure that any necessary follow-up actions are taken.”