Another Eagles Nest fatality

[mdb]

Before all is said and done, I bet there will be a lawyer (or three) that will agree with you and go after anyone that took him there.. Waivers or not..

The lawyers are already lined up.

The instructional agency will throw the store and instructors under the bus.

The Insurance agency(s) will try to settle out of court.

Ambulance chasing lawyers will want to go to trial.

"Expert" witnesses will be hired on both sides.

The event was tragic.

The aftermath will drag on for some time.

 

[rongoodman]

Before all is said and done, I bet there will be a lawyer (or three) that will agree with you and go after anyone that took him there.. Waivers or not..

Has there been any evidence presented that the site had anything to do with the mishap?

 

[KevinNM]

It is far from medical assistance, and taking him there shows a willingness to disregard the norms.

 

[RyanT]

My thinking on this issue has changed dramatically over the last 2-3 years.

John, would you mind elaborating?

 

[rongoodman]

It is far from medical assistance, and taking him there shows a willingness to disregard the norms.

But how would that have been different than an offshore dive to the same depth? There's no indication that the overhead caused any issue in this case, there was no silt-out or other delay in exiting.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Has there been any evidence presented that the site had anything to do with the mishap?

I don't think the site actually had much to do with this... Maybe a bit more stress but from all accounts, he'd been there before, and probably thought it was no big deal. I think the results would have been pretty much the same in OW since his condition didn't improve once he got off the loop. Maybe severely bent, best case... But, if you were an attorney, blaming the cave would probably be beside the point.. More like blaming a shop that has repeatedly been training divers in an environment that is almost universally considered an unsafe place to do without the proper training and experience.

Personally, I feel the only person that should have to pay the price for this.... Already has..
Sadly, he isn't the only one that will...

I wish people would think more about their family and friends during their race to the bottom, or the "top" of the technical side of diving.. Like Pete said... There is nothing down there worth dying for... I've dove it.. There certainly isn't...

 

[KevinNM]

There is the letter on CDF from a widow who lost her husband in a scuba accident. It's pretty powerful. Might be appropriate to post in the tech diving section as sticky?

 

[Texas Torpedo]

But how would that have been different than an offshore dive to the same depth? There's no indication that the overhead caused any issue in this case, there was no silt-out or other delay in exiting.

Well.. technically speaking, if he was in OW, they could have sent him up without having to deal with the chimney, which is not very wide.. Had they been diving off a boat, they could have potentially got him on-board, started CPR and had him evac'd if he was responsive at all.. In this case, it sounds like they held onto him for a while to clear at least part of their deco obligation before sending him. If their first stops were fairly deep, the chances of releasing him and him making it through the chimney are slim, at best.. More likely, he'd end up on the ceiling.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

There is the letter on CDF from a widow who lost her husband in a scuba accident. It's pretty powerful. Might be appropriate to post in the tech diving section as sticky?

I'll never forget reading Diving into Darkness about Dave Shaw... Like many divers, I read The Last Dive and pretty much any cave / tech related book I could get my hands on, especially when fatalities I might be able to learn from were involved, but this was different.. It detailed what Dave's wife went through and her practically losing her religion after he died.. She went through absolute hell.. I'm sure it is no different for most who don't have books written about them. It was a good lesson for me... to slow down my own deep ambitions for the sake of my loved ones..

Do you have a link to the letter @ CDF?

 

[darushin]

Just thing to sort out facts....

I have seen conclusive evidence that he had been diving for about 1.5 years. Do you have clear evidence that he did not pass an Intro Cave class?

He left/failed intro to cave, I know the instructor in question.