Sister of dad ‘crushed to death’ in indoor cave says she ‘watched him die’ – as previous safety concerns emerge
THE sister of a dad "crushed to death" in an indoor adventure cave says she "watched him die" as previous safety concerns about the venue emerge.
Carl O'Keeffe, 49, died in hospital on Sunday eight days after the accident at the Kong Adventure centre in Keswick, Cumbria.
He suffered “severe” crush injuries after becoming stuck inside the indoor cave on April 22, his sister Olivia Short said.
Staff at the rescue centre were unable to rescue him and emergency services were called just after 3pm.
After four hours, they eventually managed to reach the experienced climber by dismantling sections of the climbing wall and gaining access to the tunnels.
The father-of-three, described by his family as a “devoted dad”, was taken to Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle where he remained until his death on Monday afternoon.
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His sister Olivia told : "I saw him die, I’m traumatised.”
Olivia added that her brother's teenage daughter was “in trauma”.
The father-of-three, described by his family as a “devoted dad”, was taken to Cumberland Infirmary where he remained until his death.
Olivia added that shortly before he died, Mr O'Keeffe was read a poem by one of his children.
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In a post on Facebook, she paid tribute to her “baby brother” and “best friend”.
She wrote: “I loved him dearly and we were in contact daily doing word challenges and exchanging weird facts of nature. I also got to spend alternate weekends with him and his children.
“I have been with him since his accident in Keswick on Saturday Apr 22. He was taken to Carlisle hospital intensive care with crush injuries. It became apparent that the injuries were severe and he would not be able to survive.
“He was then moved to a private room and I was able to stay with him so that he could die with some dignity…. I'm broken-hearted. As are the rest of our family.”
I saw him die, I’m traumatised
Carl O'Keeffe's sister Olivia
Before Mr O'Keeffe's death, previous visitors to the tourist attraction had raised concerns about safety, with one person saying it was "not a matter of if, but when a person is critically injured".
One woman complained on TripAdvisor in 2017 that their 5ft 10in partner also got stuck while doing the indoor caving.
She wrote that the man and her 12-year-old daughter were allowed onto the cave with "no supervision".
"He became stuck almost straight away he tried to move on thinking there would be an escape route at some point but there wasn't.
"My daughter became very distressed as she thought her step dad was stuck.
"He remained calm for her sake but absolutely hated this experience. He managed to back out and we went back to reception."
"Do not use the caving unless you are tiny and therefore this means most people cannot go in with their children."
The centre responded on TripAdvisor by saying: "We are so sorry for your experience at Kong Adventure and a full apology was given, along with a full refund and an alternative activity was offered. Again we would like to apologise."
SAFETY WARNING
Another visitor in October 2021 claimed that their child "nearly suffered a critical head injury" during an incident while descending a climbing wall.
The reviewer said: "For inexperienced children using the climbing wall it is extremely unsafe due to this lack of supervision.
"The instructor was clearly unable to cope watching numerous children climbing."
The person added: "The matter has been reported to the local authorities, it is a not a matter of if, but when a person is critically injured."
The venue responded by saying: "I understand that your child is the most precious thing in the world to you, just as everyone's child is to us when they come to Kong. All our sessions are extremely safe and we have a very hardworking and experienced staff team.
"The instructor gave a brief to all children in the group of how to climb the wall safely and how the auto belaying system works for descending properly.
"However, from time to time if children don't follow the instruction properly, they can spin descending off the wall and unfortunately this has happened to your son and he has bumped his head on one of the holds.
"Also, the instructor didn't deserve to be sworn at and belittled in front of the whole climbing wall. It's unfortunate that this happened but climbing can be a dangerous activity."
Following Mr O'Keeffe's tragic death, a spokesperson for Kong Adventure Centre said: "All the staff at Kong Adventure are shocked and saddened to hear this terrible news.
"Our thoughts at this time are with the family, friends and everyone involved."
While Cumberland Council confirmed they would be investigating how the dad-of-three died in an attraction that other tourists had previously expressed safety concerns about.
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A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said "We have been notified of an incident that took place at the Kong Adventure Centre, Keswick, and are investigating the matter, as the regulating body."
