An experienced climber claimed he broke his neck after his partner dropped his rope at a critical moment.
David Littlejohn, 55, is suing fellow climber Shane Williams for £1 million ($2.2m) in compensation after he also broke his sternum, pelvis and feet in the accident at the Avon Gorge.
Littlejohn claimed he thought Williams was holding on to his rope when he leant back during a 17m climb known as the Arms Race in May 2023.
But he alleged Williams let go without telling him, causing him to plummet into an inaccessible ravine.
He now lives with life-long back pain and may need to have both legs amputated if reconstructive surgery on his feet does not work, his orthopaedic surgeon told the court.
Littlejohn claimed he thought Williams was a competent and experienced rock climber because he was part of the Climbers Club, a senior rock-climbing association where members have to be proposed and seconded before they can join.
In documents lodged with the High Court, Littlejohn alleged Williams negligently failed to have “due regard for his personal safety” and failed to act in accordance with his experience as a competent amateur climber.
Littlejohn spent four months in Southmead Hospital, where he underwent three surgeries for his injuries.
Since the accident, Littlejohn claims he has suffered from anxiety, depressed mood, irritability and panic attacks, and has constant pain in both feet.
The documents claim he is able to walk with a four-wheeled walker, but struggles with stairs and simple day-to-day activities. He also claimed he would be unable to commute if he did not work from home.
Littlejohn told the Telegraph: “I hope this will be resolved quickly given the serious impact of my severe injuries on me, my family, and my work life.”
Both men were members of a WhatsApp group for climbers in the Bristol area and had seen each other climb at a crag called Uphill Quarry, on a route only achievable with a high degree of experience.
On the day of the accident, the pair had successfully tackled a climb called Yellow Edge, graded an extremely severe three, and used the climbing calls “climb when ready”, “climbing”, “safe” and “off belay”.
To make the initial ascent, the leader is harnessed to a rope to go first up a rock face, while his companion, the belayer, passes the rope through a belay device and either gently releases the rope, which allows the leader to climb, or holds the rope tightly to prevent him from falling.
The leader then attaches a carabiner to a drilled bolt or to metal chocks or camming devices placed in cracks in the rock.
At the top of the climb, the leader secures himself to the rock face and can then be lowered back to the ground by the belayer, or if the latter wants to climb up too, the former secures himself to the rock face and calls “safe” and then “off belay” – at which point he is unprotected from falls.
After tackling Yellow Edge, Littlejohn and Williams abseiled down a section called the Ramp to climb the 17m tall Arms Race.
Williams went first.
He climbed about 12m before he was too exhausted to continue. After he was belayed back to the Ramp, Littlejohn decided to climb using the equipment put in the rocks by his companion.
He climbed a little higher than Williams before falling about 2m, but was held by Williams’ belay, the documents claimed.
Littlejohn said he then rested on the rope, inserted more equipment into the rock, and managed to climb onto a small ledge at the top, where he secured himself to two metal bolts called maillons.
He called out to confirm his action but did not use the word “safe” and Williams did not say “off belay”, the claim added.
Littlejohn, expecting Williams to belay him back down, claims he leant back to put his weight on the rope, but his partner had let go of the rope.
He then fell from the top of the Arms Race onto the Ramp and part way down the cliff below.
Stephanie Clarke of Stewarts Law, Littlejohn’s solicitor, states in the claim: “The defendant had let go of the rope or otherwise taken the claimant off belay where it had not been clearly and unequivocally communicated by the claimant as leader that this was required”.
Littlejohn, of Lymsham, near Weston-super-Mare, alleges Williams, of Send, Woking, Surrey, was negligent, saying he failed to wait for the command of safe before taking him off belay, failed to continue to use or wait for consistent verbal commands, and took him off belay unnecessarily.
Williams’ legal team at Browne Jacobson solicitors have yet to file a defence against the claim with the court. They declined to comment.