Filmmaker Rob Stewart's family files wrongful death lawsuit

[Wookie]

Yes but not only was the water much warmer in this case so pretty much anyone but the captain could have jumped in with shorts... They didn't even toss the deceased a floatation device which is a CG requirement to have aboard and accessible. And then the captain had the audacity to claim that he was doing a Williamson turn in testimony - which is just all kinds of wrong.

I have performed a number of Williamson turns, specifically for the Coast Guard. Now, this is on a 100 foot triple screw vessel. None of them look like Chapman's says, and they take from 3-5 minutes to complete.

My guess is that the captain heard about Williamson turns in whatever captains school he went to and thought to impress the Coast Guard with his statement. No one of any experience would ever choose a Williamson turn in this situation.

 

[Russjstewart]

A Williamson turn?, How big was the boat in question ?
Please correct me where I am wrong, but the situation is one diver on the boat having medical problems, and another diver in the water. Why would the boat be travelling at a speed that made it necessary to do a Williamson turn to get back to the diver?
I have done Williamson turns in training and always thought it useful for large vessels where stopping distances are measured in hundreds of metres, or smaller boats moving at high speed.

 

[Wookie]

A Williamson turn?, How big was the boat in question ?
Please correct me where I am wrong, but the situation is one diver on the boat having medical problems, and another diver in the water. Why would the boat be travelling at a speed that made it necessary to do a Williamson turn to get back to the diver?
I have done Williamson turns in training and always thought it useful for large vessels where stopping distances are measured in hundreds of metres, or smaller boats moving at high speed.

The small (30 or so feet), single wheel boat was underway, not making way. The tag line (does that translate to Aussie?) was within 5-10 feet of the distressed diver, depending on the report, and the distressed diver was 10-25 feet from the stern, with a deckhand watching him, again, depending on the report. The deckhand told the distressed diver to grab the rope, and reported that the distressed diver was unresponsive.

The solution seems pretty simple to me, but the deckhand was in street cloths and apparently didn't want to get wet....

The captain didn't want to back down to the diver, or back down over the tag line.

 

[Russjstewart]

Thanks Wookie, tag line does translate, I think, i call them comeback or mermaid lines, a line trailed from the stern for divers to grab hold of and pull themselves back to the boat.
I can understand why the skipper did not want to back down on the diver or the line, (chopped diver or disabled vessel) but i would have thought a Williamson turn a very messy way to get a diver alongside. If that in fact was what he was trying to do, as opposed to what he said he was doing.
Thanks for the info

 

[uwxplorer]

The small (30 or so feet), single wheel boat was underway, not making way. The tag line (does that translate to Aussie?) was within 5-10 feet of the distressed diver, depending on the report, and the distressed diver was 10-25 feet from the stern, with a deckhand watching him, again, depending on the report. The deckhand told the distressed diver to grab the rope, and reported that the distressed diver was unresponsive.

According to the statements posted before, the deckhand was busy tending to Sotis. The buddy was instructed by the captain to keep an eye on Steward while he would bring back the boat closer to the diver who was looking incoherent and was unable to grab the tag line.
The diver sank because he dove a wetsuit, his wing was deflated (*) and his diluent cylinder was turned off.
The buddy eventually jumped in the water to look for Steward.

Hindsight is 20 20.

(*) This is a reasonable assumption at the end of a deco dive with an ascent rate of >90 ft/min (and diluent off).

 

[Wookie]

According to the statements posted before, the deckhand was busy tending to Sotis. The buddy was instructed by the captain to keep an eye on Steward while he would bring back the boat closer to the diver who was looking incoherent and was unable to grab the tag line.
The diver sank because he dove a wetsuit, his wing was deflated (*) and his diluent cylinder was turned off.
The buddy eventually jumped in the water to look for Steward.

Hindsight is 20 20.

(*) This is a reasonable assumption at the end of a deco dive with an ascent rate of >90 ft/min (and diluent off).

Yes. This is what the statements say.

 

[uwxplorer]

Yes. This is what the statements say.

These are sworn statements. Is there any reasons to doubt them?

 

[Wookie]

These are sworn statements. Is there any reasons to doubt them?

Doesn't matter. They are admitted.

 

[Wookie]

Today's court filings are extra special. This is where the Coroner specifically forbade the Key Largo VFD from recovering the body, where the KLVFD acknowledged that they did have a dive rescue team (Water Emergency Team) before they disavowed the whole thing, and where the production company assigned safety divers to the production shoot but they weren't there. All except for the one who was having an emergency himself. Looks like the production company had acknowledged prior commercial diving violations but hadn't taken a lesson. But you can read for yourself.....

Edit. Exhibit 101 is lawyerly masturbation.

 

[Wookie]

I guess when you get tired of getting beat up, you stop confronting the other side....