Woman hit on the head with fishing weight on Boscombe pier

On Monday, October 16, Viola, 45 and her husband Adam, 47 were squid fishing before she was struck and knocked unconscious by an angler who was "casting way too near to others".

The Bournemouth couple headed to the end of Boscombe pier in the evening to enjoy the "relaxing activity."

Adam is "extremely angry" this happened to his wife, especially because the angler was allegedly warned prior to the incident he was dangerously close. 

Adam said: "It all happened so quickly, people turned up suddenly and started casting like maniacs then all of a sudden boom.

"There were no anglers there when we arrived, then three or four arrived and tried to squeeze between us and another lady.

"The other lady told them to move because they were casting way too near to others but they didn't care and said they will be fine."

"Then two minutes later my wife was hit on the head by a piece of fishing lead."

Viola's head after the incident (Image: Adam)

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Viola was knocked unconscious for "15-30 seconds" and was "lying in a pool of blood."

A lead fishing weight will usually weigh around 150-200 g (5-7 oz).

Adam added: "They are really heavy, it was like a bullet in her head.

"The angler who did it was shocked.

"She was on the floor and her head was cracked and bleeding a lot, someone gave her a towel, she looked like she had been shot in the head.

"I called 999 straight away but because I told them she was breathing they told me they wouldn’t send an ambulance for seven hours.

Example of fishing weight (Image: Adam)

READ MORE: Woman's anguish over ambulance times after husband's death

"I drove her to the hospital myself and they used glue to fix the wound and she has to go to the hospital again for an MRI scan to check for internal bleeding."

Adam added: "People going for a walk or a run need to know that they should be careful on the pier, this isn’t the first time this has happened, it’s very scary.

"I am a really experienced angler, I’ve done fishing for over 25 years, and there are plenty of places I won’t cast, but so many anglers don’t care and don’t realise."