Legal News
“Fitness fanatic” mum dies on sandboarding holiday in Namibia (5 December 2013)
Date: 05/12/2013
A mother-of- two has died on holiday at a fitness camp in Africa, after collapsing following a “sandboarding” activity.
Fitness fanatic Claire Lee, 34, from Guernsey spent several hours sandboarding at Okonjima safari reserve, west of Windhoek in Namibia last Wednesday (27/11/13) before she collapsed and died.
Mrs Lee was a cyclist and played touch rugby – she had represented Guernsey in the sport. However, she had never tried sandboarding previously.
It is reported that on the day of her death she completed two hours of sandboarding and had completed a run lying down on a sand dune thought to be as high as 100m, before complaining of feeling “funny”. She collapsed shortly after completing the run and failed to respond to efforts to resuscitate her.
Her personal fitness trainer Jon Le Tocq from Storm Force Fitness was with her – the company organises three-day trips to the safari reserve fitness camp.
The sandboarding activity was arranged by the company Alter-Action Sandboarding, which claims to be the first professional company to organise sandboarding trips along the Namibian coastline.
An autopsy is to be held to determine the cause of death, but fellow travellers with Mrs Lee said that after the incident, they had been told she had a “pre-existing” heart condition – although she had seemed in good health up to that point on the trip.
Mrs Lee was a lawyer and was married to Barney Lee – a partner at Guernsey law firm Mourant Ozannes. The couple have two children. Mrs Lee’s family is reported to be devastated at her death.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to Mrs Lee’s family.