Annual Diving Report - Divers Alert Network

APPENDIX B. DIVE FATALITY CASE REPORTS
(14 msw) for 37 minute profile. During the second dive, the diver became separated from his
buddy on the bottom and was found floating on the surface unconscious, without his buoyancy
compensator or regulator. The diver was taken to a medical treatment facility where he received
hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but he remained comatose. He died six days after the event and no
autopsy was performed. The cause of death was determined to be anoxic encephalopathy due to
near-drowning, but air embolism cannot be excluded.
04-74 Diver with intermediate experience, made shore dive with buddy to practice skills,
lost consciousness on surface swim back to shore, received hyperbaric therapy but died
four days later
Cause of Death: Anoxic Encephalopathy due to Near Drowning
This 61-year-old female had received her initial open-water certification 3 months earlier but had
already completed nearly 50 dives. She and her husband made a shore entry dive to 26 fsw (8
msw) for 44 minutes, practicing dive skills. They made a safety stop at 15 fsw (5 msw) then
ascended to the surface. The diver lost consciousness during the surface swim back to shore and
was brought to the beach. The decedent received hyperbaric oxygen therapy at a local hospital,
but her condition progressively deteriorated, and she died 4 days later. The cause of death, after
an autopsy, was determined to be brain injury due to near drowning, but HBO therapy and the
time between the accident and death would have masked autopsy findings that would corroborate
air embolism.
04-82 Experienced public service diver, made canal dive to recover wheelchair, poor
visibility and suction drain, became entrapped under gate and lost consciousness
Cause of Death: Anoxic Brain Injury due to Near Drowning due to Entrapment (canal gate)
This 43-year-old male was a public service diver and an experienced recreational diver. He made
a shore entry dive with three other divers into a canal where the depth was 5 ffw (1.5 mfw) in
order to recover a wheelchair. There was poor visibility and some kind of suction drain on the
bottom. The diver became entrapped under a gate and lost consciousness. He was brought to
the surface and resuscitated but died at a hospital two days later. In addition to anoxic brain
injury, the autopsy revealed a fatty liver and mild glomerulosclerosis.
04-28 Moderately experienced diver with hypertension, diving on wreck with nitrox, low on
air and made a rapid ascent, died four days later, after recompression treatment
Cause of Death: Hypoxic Brain Injury due to Air Embolism due to Rapid Ascent
This 52-year-old male was a moderately experienced diver with advanced open-water
certification and a history of hypertension. He was diving on a wreck with a large group to a
maximum depth of 108 fsw (33 msw). The diver used nitrox as a breathing gas, and he became
low on air. The diver made a rapid ascent. The sea state was fairly rough, but he was able to get
back into the boat. Shortly thereafter the diver became short of breath and collapsed. He was
taken to a hospital where he received hyperbaric oxygen therapy but died after four days. An
autopsy was not performed. The history and course are typical for an air embolism.
04-20 Student in OW class panicked while performing buddy breathing skill, brought to
surface coughing through regulator, died after five days on life support
Cause of Death: Ischemic Encephalopathy due to Air Embolism
This 55-year-old female was a student in an initial open-water certification class making her
second lifetime dive. Her first dive was to 17 fsw (5 msw) for 10 minutes, during which she lost
some of her weights. During the second dive the student was involved in a buddy breathing drill
90 Annual Diving Report: 2006 Edition