2 Sep, 2009 @ 19:53
1 min read
2

Scythed by a kite surfer

A PENSIONER was almost garrotted by a kite surfer on a beach near Tarifa.

The elderly woman was taking a walk along Los Lances beach – a popular spot for kite surfers – when she got tangled in the lines of a surfer who was “out of control”.

The grandmother, who is in her eighties, was lucky that the ropes of the contraption did not wrap around her neck during the accident.

But she still had to be rushed to hospital in Algeciras suffering serious bruising and shock.

Her daughter Lola Ruiz del Portal, 57, said: “Luckily she was able to fend off the ropes with her arms otherwise it might have got caught around her neck.”

Portal immediately called the police and has now denounced the surfer, who was only 17, for reckless behaviour in a bathing area.

He and a friend – also a teenager – had attempted to leave the area, before the Guardia Civil turned up.

“Luckily she was able to fend off the ropes with her arms otherwise it might have got caught around her neck.”

Her daughter has now slammed the authorities for not enforcing the area reserved for the sport.

She insisted that there was no security in place at the area known as Los Pinos.

However Tarifa’s councillor in charge of beaches, Pedro Moreno insisted that safety personnel are usually on hand to enforce the laws.

He added that the kite surfing area is clearly marked.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

2 Comments

  1. The areas may be defined on distant maps as you enter the beaches but the kite surfers for lack of skill and sheer spite cannot resist a pop at children swimming in the swimming zones. Our five young children are very good swimmers, but the kite surfers aimed at them laughing, the kids were snorkeling or underwater but it didn´t stop their invasion of the bathing area which remained full of kids running to escape. Four times I appealed to the red cross for support, but they shrugged … then came the water bikes bombing on to the shore. I live here. There is not enough safety in the sea.

  2. I really hope that your mum is ok now Lola, we run from the wires very often as soon as it is september their kites take up allover the los lances beach and it is always dangerous… and sadly there have been deaths.
    I am more scared by the water bikes which speed over families. How do you get help. A rustic beach is great but it is also the wild west and noone gives a damn about kids.

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