Death at Utah's Crater

[cruiser]

Don't free divers use goggles? A mask needs to be equalized. Of course, if the deceased was a scuba diver as well, he would have known this.

 

[Clanggedin]

Maybe a Mod can merge the two threads.

Are you sure that both Instructors have been named in a/the suit? Sad, sad, sad.
I met them both recently, we chatted about the incident and at that time it was still uncertain.
If they have it is doubtful you will get anymore information than you already know or have read. I'm sure their attorneys have requested they not comment on it.

I was with both at Blue Lake last Saturday. This morning the one who lent the diver the mask told me he was being sued in addition to the instructor who rescued the freediver.

 

[2 Big 2 Fail]

See the other thread if this one doesn't merge. I added a couple of articles that clarify things. He was training for a freediving competition and had been a competitive swimmer and diver since high school. Also, the amount asked in the suit if a modest 75,000 USD, which means it likely will be settled readily by the insurer.

 

[Scott]

I was with both at Blue Lake last Saturday. This morning the one who lent the diver the mask told me he was being sued in addition to the instructor who rescued the freediver.

Thanks.

 

[RonFrank]

I was with both at Blue Lake last Saturday. This morning the one who lent the diver the mask told me he was being sued in addition to the instructor who rescued the freediver.

When a lawsuit is filed, they must name all parties involved initially in the suit. I would hope the two divers named in the lawsuit suffer no monetary loss. At best the suit freaks them out, and they go into blame mode speaking out against others hoping to become exempted from the suit. That is likely what the lawyers are hoping for.

Lawyers SUCK! OTOH, $75,000 is chump change for a death, so I believe this will settle out of court.

 

[tridacna]

The family is not actually suing the Instructors. They always sue whoever has insurance and wait...Instructors have insurance. Doh. It's the insurance dollars that they're after.

Welcome to the USA. The land where everyone curses lawsuits and lawyers until it happens to them and then a spontaneous conversion takes place and they become tort fanboys. Money is an amazing and miraculous elixir.

 

[fdog]

Don't free divers use goggles? A mask needs to be equalized. Of course, if the deceased was a scuba diver as well, he would have known this.

Unless a freediver is wearing Liquivision goggles, we all wear masks. A big part of freediving "air management" is parceling out air from ever-shrinking lungs to equalize both ears and mask squeeze.

Although the legal end result usually has nothing to do with what the layman would consider "right", I personally place 95% of the fault with the freediver. He was (apparently) not diving in any way we consider safe for a competitor: he had no buddy, no designated safety diver meeting him on ascent, no descent line, no leash... This is a sad event, but ultimately, one that could have been prevented.


All the best, James

 

[Midget]

The crater is at an elevation of about 5,700 ft.

 

[Cave Diver]

no leash...

I was with you up to this point. What's a leash?

 

[fdog]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

In competitive freediving, the down line to the plate (target) is not tied to the surface float. Instead, it runs through a pulley; than, runs the length of a boom that is at the surface to another float. There it runs through another pulley, and is tied to a weight that is much heavier than the one under the plate.

This is a counterbalance recovery system.

If a freediver is overdue, the heavy weight is released. This pulls the plate, and the freediver attached by their leash, to the surface.

This is an excellent system to use in training, since it gives a buddy an extra chance to save someone down the line.


All the best, James