Posted on 05/11/2011 9:36:22 AM PDT by massmike
Witnesses say 13-year-old Austin Anglin was trapped underneath his family's boat for about 40 agonizing minutes before Coast Guard crews pulled him out of the water. For at least some of that time boats from several agencies could do little more than sit and watch, frustrating his helpless loved ones.
"I looked over at the game warden's boat and there were four people standing there in life jackets on the edge of the boat as I was telling them there's a boy under the boat," said Tony Edwards. "They did absolutely nothing." The two other agencies on the water, Tulalip Fire and Washington Fish & Wildlife did not have divers on board their boats.
The Everett Police Department's Marine Unit - including two divers was on the scene, but they didn't go into the water because they did not have dive gear, nor rescue training.
Everett Police refused an on-camera interview but told us their marine unit is not a search and rescue team. It's a search and recovery unit. Also, on Saturday the team was working an "enforcement detail," meaning they were out to write tickets as boating season kicked off around Puget Sound.
(Excerpt) Read more at nwcn.com ...
Not to sound heartless, but an overturned boat with all the rigging and junk tangled up in 48 degree water is not a place for untrained people, even water police, to be trying to navigate. We could be reading about a few dead police if they jumped in and tried to get under the boat and got tangled up in some nets.
Unbelievable that nobody, not even the witnesses, went in after the kid. It was an 18 foot boat, you could locate him in 1, maybe 2 quick dives. If he was hung up on something, take a few seconds to grab another breath and go again... AND AGAIN if you have to. And you go until the victim is topside. This kind of story makes me want to shake some freakin’ sense into somebody. What is wrong with people?!
Personal safety is your own responsibility. Counting on government to do it for you only makes it worse.
I was robbed a month back. I obtained a copy of the police report for my insurance company. About half of the report was covering the potential to charge the victim with a crime as part of the standardized forms, and the other half was formatted to classify the crime for federal statistics to obtain federal funding. It was oriented toward gang crime being the source of all criminal activity.
That's the reason they didn't go in. Might be talking about a couple more fatalities, if they had gone in to try to save him.
>>>They were on the scene with a person trapped under a boat in plain sight and neither one took action to save a human life. Why?
Because in emergency first response, one of the first things you learn is do not do anything you are not trained to do so you don’t become a victim yourself. Sounds rather harsh, but that’s the way it is.
Ok. Thanks for the response.
‘ealth and safety
Stories like this remind me of Air Florida Flt. 90. Dozens of “first responders” standing around watching a woman (Priscilla Tirado) as she starts to drown while a civilian (Lenny Skutnik) takes off his outer garments and shoes and jumps into the ice choked river to rescue her successfully.
Was Lenny arrested and charged?
That’s what happens here in CO if someone ‘interferes’ with authorized emergency personnel by rescuing the person.
How can you be part of a “Marine Unit” and not have rescue training? That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
48 degree chilly water — that makes a lot of difference. One wouldn’t want to just jump in without some kind of insulating suit. Even to try to save a life, because the shock or hypothermia could get you very quick. An upside of the cold water is that a drowner, though unconscious, takes longer to drown at that temperature, especially young children who sometimes enter a hibernation-like state.
>I saw a video clip yesterday (I think from NYC) a guy on a subway took his clothes off <
By any chance do you have a URL?
Several readers who responded to the article have written that the boy was wearing a life jacket.
Crazed Naked Guy Terrorizes New York City Subway Passengers
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/youtube/naked-guy-terrorizes-subway-passengers-284639
The woman can be seen between ice floes at the lower right. Too weak to hold onto the life ring from the helicopter, those on the bank did nothing.... except for Mr. Skutnik.
There are videos on the web of this civilian rescue.
>>Because in emergency first response, one of the first things you learn is do not do anything you are not trained to do so you dont become a victim yourself. Sounds rather harsh, but thats the way it is.<<
That’s true. I’ve always considered myself smart enough not to permit myself to get into a situation where I would need to be rescued. So you see I’m one of those untrained people who will make an attempt to rescue someone that I feel that I can, if there’s a reasonable possibility of doing so without endangering my life. Family excepted of course, gladly give my life for my wife and/or daughters.
I saw that, too. Being stark naked and all, it was obvious he was unarmed. However, he could have been strung out on PCP, for all the cop knew. Looks like it took 4 or 5 extra guys to help the cop subdue him.
Austin...RIP GOD has something planned for you!!!
Had to wait for the boy to die first.
Union rules you know.
“Everett Police refused an on-camera interview but told us their marine unit is not a search and rescue team. It’s a search and recovery unit. Also, on Saturday the team was working an “enforcement detail,” meaning they were out to write tickets as boating season kicked off around Puget Sound.”
Okay, could these people HAVE a worse public affairs nightmare than these two statements? Just...wow...
Colonel, USAFR
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