Scuba Diving Accidenta
Sacramento Woman Dies In Scuba Diving Accident
On Sunday morning, a Sacramento County woman died while diving with a scuba instructor at Ocean Cove near Jenner.
The diver, Teresa Collentine, 43, of Elk Grove, and her husband, James, were updating their diving skills with instructor Joe Mohamed when she began having trouble at about 10:15 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.
The three were swimming through kelp beds to open water when Collentine began thrashing in the water without her regulator in her mouth, officials said.
Her husband and the instructor got a secondary regulator in her mouth and started for the shore. As they headed back, Mohamed determined she wasn’t breathing.
On land, they attempted lifesaving measures, but Collentine was pronounced dead at about 11 a.m. Officials said the cause of death is unknown.
California Scuba Diving Accidents
Scuba diving is a potentially hazardous sport that carries with it certain inherent risks. Hundreds of U.S. citizens are injured in scuba diving accidents worldwide and over 70 divers die annually as a result of their injuries. In order to dive in the U.S., people must complete and pass a diving certification course. Risks are discussed and safety issues are addressed during the course. Commercial and recreational SCUBA diving accidents usually occur because of poor judgment, improperly maintained equipment, inadequate training, or inadequate supervision.
Fortunately, most commercial and recreational diving accidents are preventable. The most dangerous risk a scuba diver faces is decompression sickness, also known as “the bends”. This occurs when a diver returns to the surface too quickly. While diving, pressure underwater causes nitrogen from the air the diver is breathing to dissolve in the body. Nitrogen bubbles, which form in the blood stream, can cause a variety of problems. Minor injuries may include joint pain as well as skin problems. In more serious cases, paralysis, blindness, brain injuries, and even death may result.
Divers are routinely required to sign liability waivers and releases from the certifying agent, dive resort, boat owner and operator, and anyone related to the dive. Most courts have upheld these releases reasoning that since diving is a voluntary sport, involving risk, that the diver freely waives the right to sue the parties named in the release. However, not all courts uphold these releases as there may be negligence that makes the release inapplicable in certain cases.
When you undergo training for your scuba diving certification, you trust your instructors to provide you with safe, functional equipment and accurate training. Failure to do so may cause you to enter hazardous or even deadly situations. Unfortunately, tragic scuba diving accidents do occur, and due to the environment the victims are in when engaged in this activity, even minor mistakes could cost them their lives.
Causes of Scuba Diving Accidents
When future scuba divers go through the training courses necessary to be granted certification, they should be taught the risks associated with scuba diving and the measures necessary to avoid them. Malfunctioning equipment, failure to adhere to safety measures, and inexperience are all contributing factors to dangerous scuba accidents. In addition, it is quite dangerous to dive alone. Divers should also have been taught what marine organisms to avoid, such as jellyfish and stingrays. Lastly, they should know to survey the dive site for temperature and depth before submerging themselves.
These are all precautions that students should be taught by instructors in their training courses. If your instructor failed to provide you with the appropriate information to safeguard you against scuba risks and accidents, then you may be able to confront that individual in a legal setting, should you suffer a scuba injury.
These are just a partial list of the more common types of scuba diving accidents and injuries:
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Contact Us
If you would like to learn more about scuba diving accidents and who holds responsibility during one of these unfortunate incidents, contact the Law Offices of Gary A. Kessler.
