Poor maintenance caused accident in which two wheelchair users drowned – report

An investigation has found that the capsizing of a motorboat, where two wheelchair users drowned, was due to a maintenance error that resulted in the boat not being watertight.

Alex Wood, 43, and Alison Tilsley, 63, were on a day trip from a care home when they died at Roadford Lake near Okehampton, Devon, on June 8, 2022.

They were among six people thrown into the water when Wheelyboat 123 – a leisure boat converted for wheelchair users – capsized.

Both were found the following day and pronounced dead at the scene.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said the victims were strapped into their motorized wheelchairs and “dragged to the bottom of the lake and drowned.”

Investigators determined that the wheelyboat had not been properly maintained.

Seals on a ramp had not been regularly inspected and were damaged.

This allowed water to enter the boat and make it unstable, causing it to capsize.

Mr Wood, who was married and came from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and Ms Tilsley, who was known as Ali, lived at Burdon Grange nursing home in nearby Beaworthy.

The MAIB said the Roadford Lake Activity Centre, which leased the vessel to the care home, did not fully recognize the risks or understand the “unique needs” of the operation.

The South West Lakes Trust, a charity that manages the center, has been contacted for comment.

Andrew Moll, chief maritime accident inspector, said: “Nobody had taken the time to thoroughly consider the risks associated with taking the wheelchair users afloat, either before the accident or on the day itself.”

“The condition of the roller boat had deteriorated, allowing water to enter, and no one that day realized the impact of moving vulnerable people strapped into heavy motorized wheelchairs around a lake in an open boat.

“In short, no one considered the risk and tragically Alison Tilsley and Alex Wood lost their lives.

“In addition to the catalog of deficiencies highlighted in the report, the investigation also uncovered a worrying lack of oversight that must be seen as an impetus for urgent action.”

“Charitable activities like this seem to fall into a gray area where there is no organization or authority that has an oversight role.”