Edinburgh climber fell to death from cliff after accidental foot slip

AN ADVENTURER who fell to his death from a cliff whilst on a climbing expedition in Scotland has been ruled to have died accidentally at an inquest hearing lasting just ten minutes.
Sam Carr. Picture: contributedSam Carr. Picture: contributed
Sam Carr. Picture: contributed

Environmental scientist Sam Carr, 26, from Edinburgh, is thought to have lost his footing and fell whilst with a friend at Hawkcraig Point in Aberdour, Fife. He suffered multiple injuries and died shortly afterwards.

At the time of the tragedy last July 18, there were calls for details of the incident to be made public after other climbers said they had to abandon their ascent of the same cliff after claiming they were “pelted with bottles” just hours before Mr Carr’s death.

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A report was later prepared for the Procurator Fiscal which found Mr Carr’s climbing equipment had no defects but his family said they are still unaware of what happened.

Coroner Richard Taylor recorded a conclusion of accidental death without any witnesses being called or statements read out. There was no mention at the inquest of whether there was an investigation to any issues with the stability of the rockface.

Mr Taylor said: “Sam was an expert climber and he was out climbing with a friend. It was a lovely day and his friend said that Sam tripped and lost his footing.

“He was pronounced dead at the scene and a post mortem taken in Scotland revealed he had died from multiple injuries.

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“The family wanted to know if the climbing equipment was checked and Scottish Police re-assured that it was. The equipment was examined by the officer and no defects were found which could have contributed to his death. I will record a conclusion of accidental death.”

The inquest was attended by Sam’s parents but they refused to comment after the hearing.

Sam who formerly worked for Anglian Water was born in Garstang near Preston but moved to Edinburgh. A Justgiving page set up following his death said: “Sam lived and worked in Edinburgh, and loved the opportunity it gave him to be outdoors. It was the perfect place for Sam, and he considered Scotland to be his adopted home.

“Sam died in a climbing accident, doing what he loved and what made him feel most alive. Sam always looked forward, and was forever planning for his next adventure.”

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The area of the tragedy was sealed off at around 6.45pm on July 18, with police, fire, lifeboat and coastguard crews all scrambled to the area after news of the climber’s fall first emerged.

Work friend Robbie MacDonald posted a message on a tribute website to Sam saying: “He was one of the most talented, hard working people I knew and always quick with new ideas and to challenge the status quo. Far more than that he was always a pleasure to work with, even in difficult circumstances, and brought a great sense of humour to any challenging time. A campaign in Mr Carr’s name raised £8,800 for the Scottish Mountain Rescue Service.