Haigh Quarry Accident on Oct 2, 2010

[M.E.Diver]

He was a open water cert diver. But this was his third dive

 

[Darcey]

As of today:

Kankakee: 16-year-old's death still under investigation

 

[ahava]

But I would find it easy to believe that the group did not have assigned buddies based on the training classes I have seen too much of. It is common for divers to be led single file with no one really buddied up. Frankly I'm surprised we don't have many more incidents like this.

I didn't read anything that said this was a training dive.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Exactly. It seems it was not. But based on the statement that they discovered him missing when everyone surfaced and they did a head count, that says to me that whatever training they received was not followed as it pertains to proper procedures. Or that the training did not emphasize it enough. Based on my own observations of different classes I tend to think the training did not adequately reinforce it. I have stated before that if new divers are getting separated their training likely sucked.

 

[heavierthanlead]

It could be weeks before final answers known in death of teen scuba diver - DailyHerald.com

 

[Darcey]

It could be weeks before final answers known in death of teen scuba diver - DailyHerald.com

Thanks for sharing. That link needs a warning label though for anyone that was there. I just lost my breakfast after seeing Ken's picture. I guess the image of him after being pulled out of the water is more vivid in my memory than I thought. :depressed: I hope they have an answer soon.

 

[Jax]

Exactly. It seems it was not. But based on the statement that they discovered him missing when everyone surfaced and they did a head count, that says to me that whatever training they received was not followed as it pertains to proper procedures. Or that the training did not emphasize it enough. Based on my own observations of different classes I tend to think the training did not adequately reinforce it. I have stated before that if new divers are getting separated their training likely sucked.

The later story says he was missed underwater, and everyone ordered out of the water for confirmation. From the link above.

Article updated: 10/6/2010 01:13 AM | published: 10/5/2010 08:38 PM
It could be weeks before final answers known in death of teen scuba diver
By Joel Ebert
The Venture Scouts had had two successful dives in the Haigh Quarry near Kankakee on Saturday and had just gone back into the water for a third trip down.

But when one of the two adults leading the High Adventure trip looked around underwater to see that his teenage scuba divers were all with him, Ken Uhl was missing.

The Scouts surfaced, and the adults ordered the kids out of the water, said Stephen Taylor, executive director of the Northwest Suburban Council of the Boy Scouts.

Taylor said Tuesday he has spoken extensively with the members of Crew 188, the five other teens and two adults who were on the scuba trip that ended so tragically.

Taylor said the two adults searched underwater for five minutes. Unsuccessful, they called the Haigh Quarry rescue team.

The rescue team located the 16-year-old about 30 minutes after he was discovered missing, Taylor said.

The rescuers pulled Uhl out of the water and tried to resuscitate him there, before an ambulance arrived to take him to Provena St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee.

Paramedics continued to try to resuscitate him, but the teen was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3 p.m. Saturday. Taylor said the Crew 188 boys were deeply affected by the tragedy but have held themselves together.

“They handled themselves very well, very maturely, Taylor said. “They were very open about what they saw and very responsive.

All the boys on the trip were from the Northwest suburbs, although Uhl was the only one from Buffalo Grove High School, officials said.

The eight members of Crew 188, all certified scuba divers, split up into two groups one adult in each to explore the quarry. On each dive they went down a rope and rested on a platform about 30 feet below the water's surface.

The Kankakee County coroner's office did not offer a public explanation for Uhl's death on Tuesday, although equipment failure appears to have been ruled out Monday.

One source close to the tragedy said Tuesday a preliminary Kankakee County coroner's report suggests that Uhl died of a pulmonary embolism a blood clot in the boy's leg that burst, causing his sudden death.

The coroner's office did not confirm that on Tuesday, nor did they make the preliminary report public.

Kankakee County Coroner Robert Gessner said questions about Uhl's death will not be officially answered until toxicology reports are returned.

“It could be two or three weeks until we have an answer on this, Gessner concluded.

Dr. Jeffrey Huml, the medical director of critical care at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield and a pulmonary and critical care physician, said pulmonary embolisms are very rare in young people who do not have predisposed conditions.

Huml said scuba divers sometimes suffer air embolisms if they don't properly exhale while ascending to the surface. Air sacks can enlarge and even rupture in the lungs, he explained, causing air to enter the pulmonary vein and eventually the heart.

A junior at Buffalo Grove High School, Uhl was an excellent student who wasn't afraid of tough academic challenges any more than he was afraid of physical ones. He was a member of the school's scholastic bowl team and had been on the math team his freshman and sophomore years.

“As a member of the math team, he was a huge part of our success, said Binh Huynh, head coach of the Buffalo Grove High School math team. Huynh remembers Uhl as an academically accelerated kid who always made his teammates laugh.

“It is tragic losing him at such a young age, Huynh said. “He will definitely be missed.

The school observed a movement of silence Monday morning, and a group of 35 students has started to make plans to memorialize Uhl.

Meanwhile, funeral services have been set.

Visitation for Ken Uhl will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights. A memorial service and Mass will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at St. Mary's Parish, 10 N. Buffalo Grove Road, in Buffalo Grove.

 

[captndale]

Exactly. It seems it was not. But based on the statement that they discovered him missing when everyone surfaced and they did a head count, that says to me that whatever training they received was not followed as it pertains to proper procedures. Or that the training did not emphasize it enough. Based on my own observations of different classes I tend to think the training did not adequately reinforce it. I have stated before that if new divers are getting separated their training likely sucked.

This was not a training dive. The news report states that there were eight boys divided between two groups with an adult leading each group. There is no mention of the certification level of the "adults." The bottom of Haigh Quarry is silty and the visibility will quickly go to zero when a group fo five newly certified divers start churning it up. An adult scout leader with no professional scuba leadership training would have a very hard time keeping track of four teenage boys in a situation such as this. I would rather have the boys who were OW certified (not "junior OW) dive in buddy pairs. It would be much less of a CF.

 

[Deep-6]

I deal with life and death on a daily basis and I'm not ashamed to say that seeing his picture did me in pretty bad too Darcy. It was definitely one of the tougher situations I've encountered. Undeniably, it's going to hit close to home with us divers. It just makes us human. As always you've got friends here to talk to anytime.

 

[paulbert]

Hello all,

My thanks for keeping the initial email private. You may pass this one along
to anyone who you think would want to know. I'm sure that I'm forgetting
people, especially those no longer at Continental who I might not have in my
address book. My closest friends at Continental, please peruse the address
list and try to contact anyone I have missed. For example, I have no private
number or email for Lee Ward. I have a call into Dick Wendelken but have not
heard back yet.

It is with deep sadness that I must report to you the passing of our son,
Ken. He passed during a scout adventure crew outing to the Haigh quarry in
Kankakee. Preliminary findings are that he died due to an embolism in his
heart; the final results won't be released for about a week.

Ken loved the scouts, and died doing something he enjoyed. He was an A
student with many honors courses already completed. He had been asked to
join the National Honor Society, and would have been admitted, we are
certain. He planned to begin his College selection this year, and was
already receiving information and offers from many colleges across the
country.

We have been overwhelmed by the number of friends he had who took the time
to come by the house and talk to us about the Ken we never completely knew,
the Ken who was a friend to all and was beloved even more then we had
imagined. We knew he had a wonderful life ahead of him, and it is a loss not
only to us but to the world for the contribution he would have made.

We now have information about the visitation and funeral.

Visitation will be from 3:00 until 9:00 PM, Thursday, October 7, 2010 at the
Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd., 1520 N. Arlington Heights Rd., (4 blocks south
of Palatine Rd.) Arlington Heights.

Prayers 10:15 AM, Friday, October 8, 2010 at the Glueckert Funeral Home,
Ltd., to St. Mary Catholic Parish 10 N. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove
for Mass at 11:00 AM. Burial at St. Mary Parish Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Boy Scouts of
America - Northwest Suburban Council, 600 Wheeling Rd, Mount Prospect IL; or
to the American Diabetes Assn., 30 N. Michigan Ave. Suite #2015, Chicago, IL
60602.

Thank you for your kind words thus far, and those I know are to come. Please
direct any emails to uhl226@sbcglobal.net, as I will not be checking my work
email.


This was from Ken's father