Gerrard Kennedy, 41, had been on the eight-day hike of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, with a group organised by Adventure Code UK when he tragically passed away last year
Adventure seeker Gerrard Kennedy passed away while braving Mount Kilimanjaro, after succumbing to severe altitude sickness. The 41 year old dad left for Tanzania in February last year, tackling the mountain with high hopes of achieving the peak.
However, the ship manager from Cammell Laird Shipyard in Birkenhead met his tragic fate on the ascent, during an expedition arranged by British group Adventure Code UK. Despite being described as “extremely fit and active” with a passion for running, hiking, and trekking, and with no recorded health issues, he still suffered the fatal condition mid-trip.
Liverpool’s Gerard Majella Courthouse hosted an inquest where it emerged that the father of two was one of 14 hikers on the trek. Two key testimonies came from Thomas Code and Christopher English of Adventure Code UK.
The court learned that they had engaged Trekking Tanzania for guidance, with a seasoned guide named Nelson who boasted over ten years of expedition leadership under his belt. Supporting Nelson’s expert lead were a cohort of 40 to 50 proficient guides, porters, and chefs.
The Liverpool Echo has reported that all guides on the trek were certified as “Wilderness First Responders”, a globally recognised accreditation. Scaling Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, which towers at 5,895 metres above sea level, is no walk in the park, reports the Daily Record.
To combat the risks associated with high-altitude hiking, the team underwent nightly medical checks where their blood oxygen levels were monitored using a pulse oximeter. Before setting off, Gerrard had the foresight to consult his GP and was prescribed Diamox to ward off altitude sickness.
The adventure kicked off on February 19, and initially, everything was smooth sailing with the group in good spirits as they ascended. By the third day, Gerrard felt a mild headache, and that night his oxygen saturation dropped alarmingly to 55 per cent.
Despite this, the Tanzanian guides gave him the thumbs up to press on, with Mr Code and Mr English trusting their judgement. At sea level, a healthy person’s oxygen saturation level typically hovers around 95 per cent, but it’s normal for this to decrease at higher elevations.
However, on February 22, the fourth day into the climb, Gerrard’s condition took a turn for the worse. Mr Code described the onset of what seemed like a minor cough escalating into a “chesty rattle”, likening the sound to “he had a walkie talkie in his chest.”
Gerrard struggled to walk and was eventually carried by Nelson and other guides, who took turns piggybacking him to the safety of the nearest camp. Upon reaching the camp, Gerrard had a bowl of soup and retired to bed.
The guides concluded he was unfit to continue the hike and informed him of his impending helicopter evacuation the next morning. Gerrard was reportedly “gutted” by the decision but accepted it as necessary.
However, his condition worsened overnight. His tentmate, Mr English, reported shallow breathing and recalled Gerrard saying, “Ged said, ‘I can’t breathe’, so I shouted to Nelson for help. I left the tent and he was carried to the rescue hut and given oxygen,” prompting him to call for Nelson’s help.
Gerrard was moved to the rescue hut and given oxygen before being stretchered off for immediate evacuation. The group had brought three oxygen cylinders for the expedition, but Nelson decided two would suffice to get Gerrard down to the “treeline”, where it was hoped he could breathe easier.
Mr English told the inquest he had questioned Nelson about the sufficiency of the cylinders and even offered to fetch more supplies from another camp, but Nelson assured him they had enough.
At 11.30pm on February 22, the rescue team started their descent with Gerrard on a stretcher. Despite being in high spirits and chatty initially, his condition took a turn for the worse as his oxygen supply began to run low.
Mr English recalled the chilling moment: “Ged told me, ‘the oxygen isn’t working’. I reassured him, but his breathing was becoming quicker. He was sweating and his skin was hot to the touch.”
“Ten minutes after the oxygen ran out, he stopped talking.”
The guides quickly put him in the recovery position, but tragically, it was too late. Gerrard passed away while being carried down to the safety of the treeline.
After an arduous eight-hour descent, his body was brought back to the UK. A post-mortem on March 11 confirmed that he died from “high altitude illness”.
At the inquest, Assistant Coroner Mr David Lewis delivered a narrative verdict, stating that Gerrard’s death was due to altitude sickness contracted during his Mount Kilimanjaro trek. He noted that the oxygen saturation records by the local guides were “at best patchy and probably unreliable as a record”, yet acknowledged that “oxygen levels were checked.”
He claimed that despite Nelson the guide believing two oxygen cylinders would be enough for Gerrard’s descent when he fell seriously ill, “that judgement call was incorrect.”
Mr Lewis continued: “Had more oxygen been available he wouldn’t have died where he did and when he did, and his death was precipitated by the ending of the oxygen supply.”
The coroner, in his final comments, suggested it would be beneficial for firms like Adventure Code UK to “have a list of questions in place” to query local operators such as Trekking Tanzania. Paying homage to Gerrard, with his family in attendance at court, Mr Lewis described him as “clearly an impressive young man” who passed away prematurely.