We will try but we will not be heard. It is apparent that everyone has the right to be stupid when in a watercraft unless one is a qualified professional & then one becomes a criminal.

Tony.

 

I am now aware of more details surrounding this tragedy from the local rag, as well as the fact that the autopsy on the man was carried out in my former department. For confidential reasons, I will say nothing regarding that.

However, it would seem, as I suspected that this was another of those cases where lack of knowledge of the area or possibly the handling of the RIB or both, contributed to this accident. This was certainly a known fact in cases I dealt with, and this seems no different.

It is reported that the two were on holiday from the West Midlands with their family and a friend. The group consisted of a married couple in their 40s, and their 20 year old daughter, her boyfriend and a 28 year old family friend all of whom at one stage were together in the RIB. They then divided with the daughter and family friend heading out in the RIB to have a look at HMS Severn which was anchored near Sandown.

At 1445, a member of the public phoned the Coastguard to tell them they has spotted the RIB apparently empty near the Crab and Lobster Pub opposite the the Coastguard station. It was not moving. The search started 20 minutes later which found the boat caught on a lobster-pot buoy, with no-one on board.

The body of a man was recovered by the Coastguard helicopter off Whitecliff Bay more than half a mile from the RIB, and taken to St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight where he was declared dead.

The search for the woman who was thought to have been wearing a green bikini was called off yesterday. It was thought that neither the man or woman was wearing a lifejacket.

Having seen so many needless deaths at sea, and indeed on land I am still in a minority along with medical colleagues especially in pathology and indeed grieving relatives who are trying to stop such tragedies.

What the general public and MPs who make the law never sees, and never will, is what is going on behind the closed doors of my former department, and the grief familes are going through. The latter often keep it to themselves, not always opening their heart and souls. We only read stories in the papers, not always knowing the hidden grief unless directly affected. Only a few of us see the real tragedy as to how it affects those left to pick up the pieces, and who will be scarred by it for life. The remorce, the guilt, the grief rips the very heart and soul out of people. Why didn't we do this, why didn't we do that, why did we we let them do it, why didn't we learn more about the dangers, why are people allowed to do this, why don't laws stop it, why this, why that. The list is endless as their minds go into overload. They rip themselves apart and often spend the rest of their lives trying to warn others not to fall into the same trap. But do society in general listen?. Of course not. They never do listen unless it affects them directly. We who try to prevent further tragedy are often seen as party poopers, trying to take the fun out of life by taking a few risks. Try telling that to grieving relatives. Some say that he or she died doing what they like best. In such case fair enough, but sadly they are a minority. I only came across about two of them in my entire career.

I will finish with the words of a grieving father who lost his 18 year son in an avoidable accident. A nurse told him that she understood how he felt. He asked her if she had ever lost a son or daughter in such cir***stances. She said no. He told her that in that case she had absolutely no idea how it felt. He has since devoted his life to try to ensure that others do not suffer the same nightmares he and his wife suffers every day and night even though it was 18 years since their son died. David



.

 

Well said, David.

 

What can one say, David? What did this couple do - try to swim for shore instead of staying with the boat?

 

I worked SAR for a number of years. You get tired of rescuing people that have no common sense. Actually you get tired of risking your life for people who should know better.
These people knew better but thought it wouldn't happen to them. Now their family and friends are left grieving.

 

Unfortunately, David, whatever you do regarding legislation, bans etc you will never stop this kind of accident. If they don't get killed at sea they will die in a road traffic accident behaving in exactly the same reckless way. There were 4 young people killed last monday on the north devon link road and all the blame has been put on the poor design of the road which makes it dangerous.
How can a road be to blame when a car with four people in it does a u-turn in front of an approaching car?
I don't know where the blame lies but I have a feeling that a lot of people do not understand what death actually is. I believe that they think they are part of a computer type game and that death is just an end to one game before you start the next. Sadly I can't see it getting any better.
Regards,
Richard.

 

Richard

I know exactly what you are saying. It is only those who work directly with death from the emergency services who attend the scene, to us in the mortuary dealing with the autopsy and grieving relatives who can really comprehend what is going on. The general public simply do not understand how horrific it is. It's the old saying, what the eyes don't see, the heart can't grieve.

As hard as I try, few people understand exactly what I did. If they did, they would not question or even ignore me. Sadly, they have absolutely no idea. I have said it before, and will briefly again how some people think often convincing themselves they are right, and we wrong. I went into my local Social Club once, and they were talking about a person they knew who had died. I had performed the autopsy that afternoon. They told me what he had died of. I told them they were wrong, but would not say what he really died of. I couldn't for confidential reasons. But they refused to believe me not really understanding that I was actually there. This happened all the time which I found quite weird.

So you could be right Richard, perhaps people don't understand what death actually is?!.

And you are right, it will get no better. At least with the roads Governments have done what they can to make roads safer. Yet at sea, they are doing nothing to even try to make it a safer place. Anybody can take a boat out. I was sitting on Cowes seafront tonight in my car. Craft of all shapes and sizes were racing up and down, speed boats going like bats out of hell all over the place possibly having no idea what they were doing, some cutting across the bows of two large cruise ships Arcadia and Oceana acting like total morons.

If cars behave like that on the roads, the police would soon be after them because you cannot use our roads without proper do***ents.

Yes, people do use our roads without a licence or insurance. There will always be deaths on our roads, caused by people driving badly often with no do***entation. We will never stop people like that. But at least we try to stop it by having laws even if people do not always obey. But at sea, and our seaside resorts, we do not even try to make it a safer place by allowing any Tom Dick or Harry to take a craft out. I hate more rules and regulations the same as the next person, but we must surely do something to stop such needless deaths at our seasides. Doing nothing means we accept the next one will soon happen.

You can be pretty sure that there will be more deaths around our coasts this summer, and most if not all of them will be preventable. Do we just accept it as a fact of life, giving the usual condolence to grieving realatives almost as a routine waiting for the next. Or do we get off our backsides and try to do something about it. Instead of writing the next obituary even before the person dies.

Isn't it a bit rich to say how sorry we are, and our hearts go out to relatives who lose a loved one in avoidable cir***stances, yet do nothing to try to stop a similar accident just because we don't like rules and regulations. Exactly what do people want?!. David

 

I know you feel bad, but people die all the time from being stupid and doing stupid things. Does this mean that rules must be more draconian? No.
You can't stop stupidity and I swear we are breeding it into the gene pool more and more.
People think that the sea is like their lake or river at home and do not treat it with respect.

 

JoK, I don't think it is a lack of common sense that puts these poor people into the danger that they find them selves in, but an apathy from those about them , as david says, in that if it doesn't happen to their kith and kin, then they have no interest.

We are all taught from a very early age as to how to "defend" ourselves as both pedestrians, cyclists and then motorists, by countless government legislations, rules and regulations, and advertising, costing millions each year, and yet there is virtually nothing in either government backed policies on advertising, or media coverage on how people should behave safely "by the seaside", and it is only you mariners out there and us that were brought up by the sea side that know the true dangers of what the sea and it's moods can do to our fragility.

Most people just have no idea, and as david said, until we all get rid of our apathy, nothing will change, and it is unfair to comment on those sad people who have lost their lives, because sadly they probably didn't know any better!

 

It is common around here for people to ignore signs on the ocean side that clearly state not to go past a certain point because of the danger of being swept to sea by large waves.
Is that apathy?
Not likely.
So they get swept off the rocks, and other people have to go rescue them.

But here in Canada, people now have to past a small boat operators test.

 

Jok

They do not have to pass anything here in the UK.

Relatives of those killed so needlessly would certainly agree with tighter regulations.

But that will never happen. People like their freedom too much, it is far more important it seems than their own life or that of others until it happens to them or a loved one, and then they change their minds. But it is too late then, their lives are shattered and like myself can only look in despair when the next needless death happens. David

 

A body, thought to be the female missing when a RIB was found last week off Bembridge on the Isle of Wight was spotted by a ferry passenger off Bembridge Ledge.

Coastguards confirmed the body, which has not been identified was found at 1631(BST), and a police launch was sent out to collect it.

For me personally, it is nice not to have my bleep go off when a body is found as was always the case before I retired. Nowadays I can look on knowing others are doing what I got involved with at all times day or night. David