Exeter City Council has been found not guilty of running an unsafe ferry operation after a jury ruled that quayside steps did not cause the death of an elderly passenger who fell in the water and drowned.
They were cleared of safety breaches after a five day trial which examined how frail grandmother Dorothy Stevens fell into the River Exe more than three years ago.
The arthritic 80-year-old toppled backwards into the water after her segmented walking stick collapsed underneath her as she was trying to climb up the steps after getting off the Butts Ferry.
The centuries-old ferry is a raft which if pulled by hand across the river on a steel cable strung from one side to the other.
Mrs Stevens drowned after falling into the water while on a day's shopping trip to Exeter with her daughter and granddaughter.
She took the ferry instead of walking via a nearby bridge after a sudden squall of rain blew through and she and her daughter Gillian Phillips were stranded on the on the other side of the river from granddaughter Melissa.
The Judge in the trial at Exeter Crown Court thanked the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence after they returned their not guilty verdict after more than six hours.
He also praised the efforts of ferryman Harry Pinnington and watersports instructor Thomas Budd who went into the water to try to save the pensioner.
He said:"In the aftermath of the fall that took Mrs Stevens into the river with such tragic consequences these two men did everything they could to try to save her.
"Mr Pinnington jumped into the water and Mr Budd also gave assistance and carried out CPR and they are both to be commended."
Exeter City Council denied failing to discharge their duty to run a safe undertaking and were found not guilty.
The Health and Safety Executive alleged the ferry steps were inherently dangerous at the time because they were of varying heights and depths and the hand rail was too far from the steps and too close to the water.
Council quay and canal manager Mr Jack Nott told the jury there had been no accidents or complaints in 40 years of operation.
Safety consultant Mr Michael Welham said the real cause of the accident was the breaking of Mrs Stevens' stick and orthopaedic surgeon Mr Paul Evans said she had arthritis which would have made it hard to get up the steps.
Women's Institute member Mrs Stevens, from Silverton, near Exeter, drowned in July 2010 when her stick broke as she struggled to get up the steps after leaving the ferry.
During the trial the court heard how she was on a day out in Exeter with her daughter Mrs Gillian Phillips and grand daughter Melissa Phillips.
They had been to a shop called The Range and already crossed the river once using a bridge because Mrs Stevens had been anxious about using the ferry steps.
On their way back Melissa took the ferry and just as she arrived at the canal side a heavy rain squall blew in and she asked ferryman Mr Pinnington to return and pick up her mother and grandmother who were getting soaked.
They got on the ferry, crossed the river, and got off onto a metal platform without any problem. The ferry man started back across the river, leaving Mrs Phillips helping her mother up the steps.
Mrs Stevens was trying to move from the platform to the first step when her stick broke and she lost her grip on the hand rail.
She fell and rolled into the water and drowned despite attempts to save her.
