Posted by Ken Kurtis on April 04, 2005 at 17:40:24:
In Reply to: embolized posted by on April 04, 2005 at 16:54:50:
"They think he ran out of air, and shot to the surface and embolized. By the time he got to shore he'd had a major stroke and heart attach."
Let's talk about what we know, let's label speculation as such, and let's see if we can quantify the sources of our information. It does no one any good to spread unsubstantiated information.
As you may or may not know, we (Reef Seekers - specifically Billy & myself) serve as Forensic Consultants for the Coroner. We just got the gear today (inclduing the buddy's) and will test it in the next week or so and produce a report.
The actual autoposy was being done today and the results are not yet known. Though embolism is something being looked at, the anecdotal reports on the accident do NOT make any mention of a rapid ascent nor shooting to the surface. They do, however, mention out of air, and octopus-sharing to the suyrface at a normal rate.
He may well have had a heart attack or stroke (or embolism) but until the autopsy results are finalized, there's no way to know.
Suffice it to say that it's a very sad day for the family and hopefully finding out the correct answers to what went wrong will help them acheive some sense of understanding and closure.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA