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Beach bystanders criticised in drowning


Still Waters

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I don’t know if it has changed, but during my working life I had to attend first aid courses, and one of the prime guidelines was not to put yourself in danger, always to check your own safety before approaching the scene of the accident and victim (thinking in terms of road accidents mainly, no sea near me).  There will always be people who take risks to help others in jeopardy, and often get away with it and succeed,  but how many people die trying to rescue their pets in rivers and sea, for example?  I couldn’t stand by and watch if someone needed aid and there was no-one else around to assist but I wouldn’t take on more than I personally could manage and risk being another victim, thus adding to the problem.  Can’t comment on the thought processes of those on that beach that stood and watched, as I don’t knit w the exact circumstances, but those that were able bodied and swimmers probably should have tried to assist in whatever way they could.

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On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 8:15 AM, Still Waters said:

Two Australian surfers

I think those are the key words. The surfers were operating entirely within their personal comfort zones. I don't think it's fair of them to expect other people to operate in that zone with the same ease as the surfers. The majority of people I've seen at the beach are there to sit under a beach umbrella, or maybe help their toddlers build a sand castle.

There are times when bystanders purposely avoid involvement so they can film a video for YouTube. I consider that behavior to be pure selfishness. However I believe the majority of onlookers have just never mentally prepared themselves for extreme situations.

Warning: extreme situation

My sister is a grandmotherly woman who carries her knitting needles and yarn everywhere she goes and leads a very sedentary life. One day while driving to work she came upon an accident scene where a bicyclist had been hit and run over by a car traveling 60 mph. The victim's face was pushed up to his forehead, and yet my sister didn't hesitate to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the medics arrived. After leaving the accident scene, she drove back home to shower and change clothes, and then left again to go to work. She later told me, "It's kind of hard to perform CPR on someone covered in blood and has no lips. You can't form a good seal."

To other bystanders, this might appear like 'out-of-character' behavior for a grandmotherly woman, except that my sister had worked in the Emergency Room of a hospital for about two years, and so was operating within her comfort zone at the accident scene. Now myself, I'm pretty sure I'd find a reason to NOT perform CPR on someone in the victim's condition.    

Edited by simplybill
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On 28/12/2017 at 2:58 AM, Sakari said:

Yes, don't grab floating devices,surf boards, etc. that are all over the beach and try to help. Don't string together holding hands to reach the person and get them in. Don't try anything, it is not your problem. But, if it is you child, brother, sister, mom, dad......Just stand and watch others die. Sleep well.

I know the beach quite well, it's at a seaway and right next to a seawall. Not sure a human chain would have worked. The place is a very popular surfing spot and usually the surfers well outweigh the swimmers. All the best flotation devices would have already been in the water surfers would be the obvious choice for an impromptu rescue effort. I don't know why these guys are on about swimmers when there would be plenty of people there on surfboards, even in lousy conditions. 

The best question in this thread is where we're the lifeguards? They are a permanent fixture on this beach. They collect plenty of donations to be at the ready. They should be in question rather than the people there at the time. 

Edited by psyche101
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Just now, Susanc241 said:

I don’t know if it has changed, but during my working life I had to attend first aid courses, and one of the prime guidelines was not to put yourself in danger, always to check your own safety before approaching the scene of the accident and victim (thinking in terms of road accidents mainly, no sea near me). 

nothing changed, i take cpr\first response class every 2 years,  first thing they tell you protect yourself,  

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I worked as a lifeguard. With a rip current the more people in the water, the more danger to others there would have been. The currents can be as strong as a fast moving river, and just staying in the same spot will tire you out. 

Surfboards float, but they are blunt and can cause a lot of damage. 

 Drowning isn't always obvious, lifeguards were alerted. 

 And it's real easy to say someone should done x after the event. 

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