Freak gust dragged kite surfer to death

A company director died after being dragged headfirst into a concrete wall during the extreme water sport of kite surfing, an inquest heard today.

Alastair Porter, 38, of Iffley, Oxford, died on 21 August, five days after the accident at the Calshot activity centre in Fawley, Hampshire.

Southampton coroner's court heard that Mr Porter, father of an 11-month-old girl, was seen to struggle with his kite as he came out of the water.

A freak gust of wind dragged him at high speed, first into a 3ft-high sea wall and then into the side of a building which formed part of the centre. He was not wearing a helmet but his kite-surfing kit was fitted with the normal safety equipment, the inquest heard.

Samantha Bailey, of Romsey, Hampshire, who was staying in a caravan at the site with her husband and three children, described how she saw the kite dragging Mr Porter.

In a statement read to the hearing, she said: "I had noticed this man really arching his back, almost fighting his kite as he came onto the beach. It was really shocking, as I witnessed the man hit the wall head first at incredible speed."

Mr Porter died from bleeding to the brain as well as skull and neck fractures, said pathologist Professor Roy Weller.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Keith Wiseman said he was satisfied that all appropriate safety measures had been put in place at the centre. But he recommended a review of procedures.

Speaking after the hearing, Paul Jobin, chairman of the British Kite Surfing Association, said the BKSA recommended that kite surfers wore safety helmets.