Boating Collision Takes Life Of Junior Lifeguard in Huntington Beach
The exercise has been used in the program for over 45 years and has never resulted in a fatality. In fact, the program itself was established over 45 years ago and no lifeguard has ever died during the popular training activities which the program implements. It seems that the death was a result of a very unusual accident.
During the “speed drop,” a group of approximately 25 lifeguards was asked to swim from the beach out to the marine safety boat which was anchored around 100 yards away from the shore. After climbing back into the boat, the lifeguards waited for the boat to head back to shore so that they could jump from it while it was in motion. Lifeguards and members of the coast guard are often required to jump from moving boats in order to save victims from drowning. After jumping from the boat while in motion, the lifeguards were to swim in a group to one side of the boat until the captain turned to pick them up again. In this case, the 11-year old girl had not swum fast enough to reach the group before the boat turned to pick them up again. The boat struck her and left her with spinal injuries and possible head injuries that later caused her death.
The captain driving the marine boat was none other than a Huntington Beach Marine Safety lieutenant. The lieutenant has been working for the past 20 years as a training officer for the junior lifeguard program in Huntington Beach. Following the accident the man was given a toxicology test to check for the presence of drugs or alcohol. Neither drugs nor alcohol, however, were found in his system. The man was quickly placed on leave by the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program and will likely remain on leave until investigations are complete. If you are ever involved in a California boating accident or injury or any other form of accident in Los Angeles, consider choosing a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer.
The Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program is incredibly popular and well-supported by the entire community. In fact, there are now over 20,000 lifeguards across the country that began their careers in water safety in this very program. The lieutenant that was driving the marine boat on the day of the accident was also a well-respected member of the program. He is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and was actually awarded the Public Safety Medal of Valor at one point in his career as a lifeguard training officer. It is hard to believe that the man could have been negligent in his duties as a training officer, but the police are investigating every avenue they can to find answers regarding the tragic accident and the death of this 11-year old girl.
During the “speed drop,” a group of approximately 25 lifeguards was asked to swim from the beach out to the marine safety boat which was anchored around 100 yards away from the shore. After climbing back into the boat, the lifeguards waited for the boat to head back to shore so that they could jump from it while it was in motion. Lifeguards and members of the coast guard are often required to jump from moving boats in order to save victims from drowning. After jumping from the boat while in motion, the lifeguards were to swim in a group to one side of the boat until the captain turned to pick them up again. In this case, the 11-year old girl had not swum fast enough to reach the group before the boat turned to pick them up again. The boat struck her and left her with spinal injuries and possible head injuries that later caused her death.
The captain driving the marine boat was none other than a Huntington Beach Marine Safety lieutenant. The lieutenant has been working for the past 20 years as a training officer for the junior lifeguard program in Huntington Beach. Following the accident the man was given a toxicology test to check for the presence of drugs or alcohol. Neither drugs nor alcohol, however, were found in his system. The man was quickly placed on leave by the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program and will likely remain on leave until investigations are complete. If you are ever involved in a California boating accident or injury or any other form of accident in Los Angeles, consider choosing a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer.
The Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program is incredibly popular and well-supported by the entire community. In fact, there are now over 20,000 lifeguards across the country that began their careers in water safety in this very program. The lieutenant that was driving the marine boat on the day of the accident was also a well-respected member of the program. He is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and was actually awarded the Public Safety Medal of Valor at one point in his career as a lifeguard training officer. It is hard to believe that the man could have been negligent in his duties as a training officer, but the police are investigating every avenue they can to find answers regarding the tragic accident and the death of this 11-year old girl.