Dutch Springs diver dies
N.J. man found unresponsive in water. Lehigh County coroner awaits toxicology report.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
By MICHAEL BUCK
The Express-Times
L. NAZARETH TWP. | A Westampton, N.J., man who police said was a new diver died Sunday after scuba diving at Dutch Springs.
XXXXX XXXXXXXX, 50, was found unresponsive under water and was pulled to the surface by fellow divers, police said. The Lehigh County coroner said XXXXXXXX was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, where he was pronounced dead.
The coroner's office did an autopsy Monday morning and said a cause of death is pending a toxicology report.
Colonial Regional police Deputy Chief James DePalma said XXXXXXXX was on his second dive of the day when other divers noticed something was wrong. He said the man was diving in water about 75 feet deep.
DePalma said the man was a new diver but could not offer more details on the man's level of expertise. He said police were dispatched about 11:50 a.m.
Dutch Springs manager Andrea Scott said emergency crews are stationed around the 50-acre recreational lake for situations in which divers are endangered.
"We have a very quick response so we can help a diver in need," Scott said.
Scott said Dutch Springs rents out oxygen tanks but no other equipment. She did not know if the man was using his own tanks.
"I don't know if it has anything to do with his equipment," Scott said.
Dutch Springs requires all divers to sign a waiver before using the facility. The waiver discharges Dutch Springs and its employees from legal action resulting from "any injury, including death."
"Any time a tragedy like this happens, it's a hard thing for Dutch Springs and our staff," Scott said.
Dutch Springs, a spring-fed former quarry on Hanoverville Road, attracts about 30,000 divers a year with features such as submerged vehicles, a sunken airplane and a diverse population of fish. The lake reaches a maximum depth of about 100 feet.
N.J. man found unresponsive in water. Lehigh County coroner awaits toxicology report.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
By MICHAEL BUCK
The Express-Times
L. NAZARETH TWP. | A Westampton, N.J., man who police said was a new diver died Sunday after scuba diving at Dutch Springs.
XXXXX XXXXXXXX, 50, was found unresponsive under water and was pulled to the surface by fellow divers, police said. The Lehigh County coroner said XXXXXXXX was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, where he was pronounced dead.
The coroner's office did an autopsy Monday morning and said a cause of death is pending a toxicology report.
Colonial Regional police Deputy Chief James DePalma said XXXXXXXX was on his second dive of the day when other divers noticed something was wrong. He said the man was diving in water about 75 feet deep.
DePalma said the man was a new diver but could not offer more details on the man's level of expertise. He said police were dispatched about 11:50 a.m.
Dutch Springs manager Andrea Scott said emergency crews are stationed around the 50-acre recreational lake for situations in which divers are endangered.
"We have a very quick response so we can help a diver in need," Scott said.
Scott said Dutch Springs rents out oxygen tanks but no other equipment. She did not know if the man was using his own tanks.
"I don't know if it has anything to do with his equipment," Scott said.
Dutch Springs requires all divers to sign a waiver before using the facility. The waiver discharges Dutch Springs and its employees from legal action resulting from "any injury, including death."
"Any time a tragedy like this happens, it's a hard thing for Dutch Springs and our staff," Scott said.
Dutch Springs, a spring-fed former quarry on Hanoverville Road, attracts about 30,000 divers a year with features such as submerged vehicles, a sunken airplane and a diverse population of fish. The lake reaches a maximum depth of about 100 feet.
