Role of the Coast Guard

[Mike Boswell]

I was bellyaching the other day to a friend of mine - he is a retired prosecutor and judge - that while the media seems to report scuba fatalities regularly, they never seem to follow up with a story about how the accident happened, what caused it, etc.

He replied that most of this information may not be made public by various investigative agencies or coroners.

"Why wouldn't they?" I asked incredulously.

To my astonishment, he replied "Why should they? It's none of your business!"

"Why should they?" I spluttered indignantly "I PAY THEIR SALARIES! THAT'S WHY!"

He was unmoved by this argument, having perhaps heard it somewhere before. "The fact that you are a taxpayer, as we all are, does not give you the right to pry into other peoples' personal medical information. Do you really think you have any need to know?"

"Yes", I replied. "I want to learn from the accident. I want to know who or what caused it. I want the information to be available to DAN and other people who study such things."

"Well", he replied, "the Coast Guard has jurisdiction over all accidents and fatalities in navigable waterways and will issue a public report eventually, without, of course, divulging confidential personal information."

Is this true? If so, where are these CG reports, and how long does it take for the Coast Guard to publish them?

Note to Mods: Please move this thread if I have posted it in the wrong forum.

 

[deepstops]

Excellent question, I too would like to actually learn something from these accidents.

 

[crd_kats]

Well, having 5 minutes free at work.... I decided to call the Coast Guard and ask.

They said we would have to apply in writing to the Officer in Charge of the Coast Guard Sector where the accident occured. This form is called the Freedom of Information Act. Please supply the date, time, name, and purpose/reason you need the information. The Officer then has 30 days to supply you with the report.

 

[Blue982]

Is there a group (DAN comes to mind) that regularly submits FOIA requests to the Coast Guard? It would be nice to be able to see them compiled and sortable.

I know one local dive (Edmonds Underwater Park) has fairly regular injuries/casualties. It is a wildlife sanctuary and thus motorized vehicles (DPV/scooters included) are not allowed. The park also happens to be very large. People get in trouble way out and aren't strong enough to swim to shore in time.

There are some other local issues as well with management of diving accidents but overall, it would be nice to get some statistics. We could, for example, add a small boat for emergencies if the swim were the problem or contact EMS and make sure they're taking people to a chamber if they haven't been in the past.

 

[captndale]

A while back I was researching a recent shipwreck for a magazine article I was planning to write. It took me two freedom of information requests to the Coast Guard. It was almost two years before I got the information I was looking for, and what I got was highly redacted.

 

[Mike Boswell]

Well, having 5 minutes free at work.... I decided to call the Coast Guard and ask.

They said we would have to apply in writing to the Officer in Charge of the Coast Guard Sector where the accident occured. This form is called the Freedom of Information Act. Please supply the date, time, name, and purpose/reason you need the information. The Officer then has 30 days to supply you with the report.

I discussed this again with my friend last evening. It turns out he used to teach FOIA law to military officers. He affirms all of your information, but said that you don't need to have "a reason" for your FOIA request. He added that the law also requires Government agencies to abide by what is called the Privacy Act, which limits what information they can disseminate.

I am unclear about whether the Coast Guard investigates all Scuba accidents, or only those involving boats, or only those involving commercial boats.

 

[cdolphin]

Mike in your original post you stated:

"Well", he replied, "the Coast Guard has jurisdiction over all accidents and fatalities in navigable waterways and will issue a public report eventually, without, of course, divulging confidential personal information."

That about covers

I am unclear about whether the Coast Guard investigates all Scuba accidents, or only those involving boats, or only those involving commercial boats.

 

[Mike Boswell]

To the best of my recollection, my friend indicated that the Coast Guard "has jurisdiction over all accidents and fatalities in navigable waterways". However, we had been discussing an accident from a dive boat, so he may have meant all boating accidents. That is what I am unsure about.

I know that here in San Diego the Coast Guard investigates boating accidents but I have not heard of any CG involvement in shore-based accidents.

 

[B Lo]

Often times, once one is dead, his right to privacy ceases to be anywhere near as extensive as it was in life...

 

[Wookie]

I am unclear about whether the Coast Guard investigates all Scuba accidents, or only those involving boats, or only those involving commercial boats.

The Coast Guard investigates ALL accidents that happen on navigable waters. They limit their investigation to their area of expertise, which involve vessel safety. If the vessel is commercial, it is crewed by licensed individuals, therefore, the scope also involved the actions the crew took.

The Coast Guard's expertise does not extend to scuba equipment, or causes of death. That part of the investigation is turned over to local LE for closure. If the victim died while diving, the equipment may be considered as a part of the cause of death, and it will be examined also. If the equipment was owned by the vessel, that part of the investigation MAY kick back to the coast guard, but it really isn't their expertise, so they might not look at the right things.

Most Coast Guard investigators aren't divers. In the aftermath of out fatality last November, I had to explain to the investigator what a rebreather was and basically how it worked.

So, if you want an accident report, you will need to go to the local Sheriff's office to get their investigation report. That report will be limited to cause of death, and any contributing factors. Of COD was natural, you will get a very thin report. You will need to contact the USCG for theirs, but the results will be limited to "was the boat or it's operators at fault". What I think you are all looking for is something like Mike Ange's "Lessons for Life", which only come about from a lot of research, witness interviews, and pulling together all of the various reports. There is no easy place to get "accident reports"

The CG doesn't freely hand out accident report investigations on vessels. Part of that is due to the litigiousness nature of America today. It's too easy for a plaintiff's lawyer to point their finger at the USCG for the depth/lack of depth to an investigation. We ask a 25 year old butter bar investigator make a report that has the well-being of an operator in the balance. There is good reason those reports aren't freely published. Your curiosity isn't reason enough to change that policy.