Personal injury news

Top climber killed in mountaineering accident

One of the world's top climbers has died in a mountaineering accident just weeks after starting climbing again following a neck injury.

Scot Dr Kenneth McConnell was abseiling on Mount Wellington in Tasmania when the rock he was tied to broke, plunging him 60ft down a gorge. He suffered horrific personal injuries and was found dead when rescuers reached him five hours later.

The 54-year-old was a veteran climber who had conquered Mount Everest, scaled various peaks all around the world and had even undertaken an expedition in Nepal to search for the Yeti. Although an expert, the accident that brought about the doctor’s death happened on a fairly easy hill, as his dad explained, "The tragic irony is that he called Mount Wellington a molehill. He must have been to the Himalayas about 20 times."

His father, Kennedy, explained how his son had only recently begun to climb again after suffering a painful neck injury in another climbing accident. He also said, "It is heartbreaking. But Ken lived an extraordinary life.

"He packed more into 54 years than most people could cram into 100. He was rated as one of the top ten climbers in the world."

Dr McConnell is survived by two young sons and his funeral will be held in Hobart, Tasmania.