Linked news: Family hit by rocks while hunting fossils near Charmouth
Rocks falling in a sudden landslide at Stonebarrow Down near Charmouth struck a family of four out hunting for fossils at 4.30pm yesterday.
All were hurt – mother, father, and two daughters thought to be aged around 7 or 8 – the mother by far the most seriously, knocked unconscious, with an injured spine and broken hip. She’s still being treated in Dorset County Hospital; the rest of her family were allowed to go home.
The incident’s been reported so far by The Mirror, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the BBC. The Telegraph report is the best.
UPDATE: The story filed a short while ago by the Dorset Echo adds (surprisingly) little to what’s already been reported.
Stonebarrow is one of the most dangerous cliff sections between Lyme Regis and Burton Bradstock. It can be terrifyingly unpredictable.
Primary school children in Dorset are often shown this photo which I’ve reproduced from the South West Grid for Learning. It shows a column of rock suddenly collapsing at Stonebarrow. Message: the signs that warn people of falling rocks really are there for a reason.
