Accident at Lake Rawlings Sunday 05/27/2012

[boulderjohn]

You would think the husband/dive buddy would have noticed that she was missing alot sooner, like minutes after she disappeared. Meaning if he was doing a task, no he wouldn't but a soon as he got done, why wouldn't he be looking for her.

I wrote with considerable understatement.

The actions of the husband/buddy in alerting the instructor as to his missing wife/buddy during the dive has always piqued my curiosity.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

I wrote with considerable understatement.

The actions of the husband/buddy in alerting the instructor as to his missing wife/buddy during the dive has always piqued my curiosity.

that's why I was wondering if any more information had came out about this.

 

[Wookie]

You would think the husband/dive buddy would have noticed that she was missing alot sooner, like minutes after she disappeared. Meaning if he was doing a task, no he wouldn't but a soon as he got done, why wouldn't he be looking for her.

I hear a lot of folks are asking that very question. Some of those folks have stinkin' badges.

 

[BDSC]

When you're in the dive business you hear things.

For instance, I hear that the PADI instructor was out of the water, and out of his drysuit before he ever noticed that his student was missing.

I also hear that you can be expelled from PADI if you lie to the PADI investigator about where you were when you notice YOUR STUDENT isn't with you. If you tell the investigator that you were on your safety stop when you were really on the beach with your drysuit already off, well, that's a lie.

I hear that if you are on the beach yukking it up with your other students when other instructors from other groups point out that you started with 6 and now you only have 5 and you blow off those other instructors, PADI will send an investigator to talk to you.

That's what I hear, anyway.

You know Wookie, I have no doubt that if you say you heard those things then that's what you heard. I just can't even imagine it going down like that. That would truly be a "believe it or not" event.

 

[cruiser]

I know it's a long thread, but you will find that this was discussed at some length earlier.

Apparently Virginia is a state where it really doesn't hold up at all. Even in other states it would probably not hold up. The waiver really just prevents the student from making frivolous lawsuits. If the instructor clearly screwed up and violates standard instructional procedures, it has no value.

And in Texas you also can't waive negligence.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

And in Texas you also can't waive negligence.

is there any place that you can waive negligence?

 

[Wookie]

And in Texas you also can't waive negligence.

Actually, my lawyers feel that Texas is a good waiver state. Maybe you can't waive negligence, but the proper signing of a waiver speaks to the signers state of mind when he signed the waiver. Like he was taking responsibility for himself. Waivers are typically accepted by the court and accepted at face value.

 

[DandyDon]

The survivors can still sue tho.

 

[NAUIWOWI]

I hear a lot of folks are asking that very question. Some of those folks have stinkin' badges.

I would guess that the recent high profile case that occurred in Australia and just went thru the legal process here in the states has raised the level of law enforcement investigations of scuba related deaths, especially where there is a relationship between victim & dive buddy/witness beyond the "insta-buddy" type.

 

[Diveva]

I would guess that the recent high profile case that occurred in Australia and just went thru the legal process here in the states has raised the level of law enforcement investigations of scuba related deaths, especially where there is a relationship between victim & dive buddy/witness beyond the "insta-buddy" type.

Having been on the beach next to the husband/buddy and watched his emotions as First Responders, EMTs and MDs worked on his wife, I would never in a million years put him in the same catogory as the guy from Australia.