A company owned by former Olympic kayaker Ian Fergusson has been fined $50,000 for a climbing wall accident the Department of Labour says was easily preventable.
A 13-year-old girl was seriously injured when she fell while climbing at Ferg's Rock-n-Kayak on the Wellington waterfront in December 2008.
The girl cracked cracked her pelvis and badly fractured her ankle when she fell from a height of almost 9 metres.
The company pleaded guilty to one charge in the Wellington District Court of failing to take all practical steps to ensure its customers are kept safe under health and safety laws.
The department's acting central regional manager, Brett Murray, says no beginner should expect to be injured during such an experience on an artificial wall.
Ferg's Rock-n-Kayak was also ordered to pay reparation of $17,000.
