Fatality Cabo San Lucas March 3

[DandyDon]

I may have been wrong about possible legal actions. Looks like enough influence was used to secure the gear, tanks, remaining gas for lab testing, and CO is still the suspected problem. He does have a lawyer pursuing, but no clarification on the shop that filled the tanks.

From Man takes legal action in wife's Mexico scuba death - Canada - Canoe.ca

Grieving husband Colin Cross is taking legal action in his quest for answers as to how his wife died in Mexico earlier this month.
Calgarian Ronda Cross, 41, died while scuba diving off the coast of Cabo San Lucas on March 3, a death her family believes was caused by carbon monoxide contamination in the compressed air tanks she and two colleagues used.
Her husband said he has been assured by the Canadian consulate an investigation is underway, but in the meantime, he's retained legal representation out of San Diego.
"The scuba tanks and all the gear and everything like that is being held," Colin said.
"It's (all) being tested and it is being investigated.
"I actually am starting to work now with the consulate on a regular basis ... yes, legal action is being taken -- I do have a lawyer in San Diego who is working with me on it."

Colin declined further comment on the proceedings, saying he didn't want to jeopardize anything currently underway.
He said he's been advised by his lawyer not to say too much.
While Colin continues the long wait for answers, he's also involved in setting up a charity called RONDA (Representation of Needed Divers' Assistance) that will help other families.
"We will be redirecting any donations or anything like that to assisting families if they're having a problem getting a loved one out of the country or if there's a fatality," he said.
"We're also going to be making public some of the things that would prevent this in the future ... I want this to benefit other people."
His wife's funeral was March 10.
A report in the Mexican online publication Sudcaliforniano stated Ronda's cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning, as did a woman employed by the funeral home which received Cross' body.
Police in Cabo San Lucas reportedly shut down the company that Colin believes supplied the air tanks used in the fatal dive and seized devices for testing.
The company denied it had anything to do with the incident or even knowledge it occurred.
Reached by phone in Mexico, diving instructor Jorge Eauchateau said he believes carbon monoxide was the culprit.

 

[johnZdiver]

Hey Dan, I dont know why I did not think of this before but I called PADI and was told By customer Service That Sunshine Dive and Charters Teaching status has been suspended and that they have been taken off the PADI website because there Quality Management Department is investigation a Quality Issue.
Now that is not a paper work mishap like I saw in an earler post its an safty issue with that shop.

 

[DandyDon]

Well, blamstorming is prohibited here - we are to look for causes and preventions instead, but the ultimate cause may well prove to be interesting indeed. IDing CO would be enlightening if possible. IDing the source would certainly be of interest. Learning how it may have happened could be useful.

Prevention is simple yet essential to me, regardless. Get or rent a CO analyzer, test each and every friggin' tank no matter how boring it may seem on good days, be careful - and include the experiences in trip reports. The more I learn on the subject, the more I feel that way.

So far, we still do not have evidence to clearly establish a cause, but if someone or some entity with more influence than me had persuaded those divers to CO test all tanks, either that would not be the suspected cause or - we'd have a happier family in Canada.

 

[Ayisha]

An earlier article had stated that someone in the police station where the tanks were kept had said that the air smelled bad. Of course, CO is odourless and tasteless, but Hydrogen Sulfide smells like rotten eggs, and it can also incapacitate and kill. CO and H2S have been found together before in lethal quantities...

 

[Captain Ray]

As a general rule, I do not post on any board. Almost everytime I do I get attacked by some bonehead. Also, I have not read every thread in this post. However, I do have some limited experience with Baja Mexican activity and culture. Also, some experience with compressors and compressed air systems.

1. Compressors do not normally "creat CO", they will however, intake CO from the surrounding environment. As was stated somewhere previously, a claim was made that someone may have filled the tanks from an unknown source. Hence the risk. I have seen this done from portable compressors in Mexico on a number of occasions.

2. A number of years ago, while traveling at night, some friends of mine and I had a bad accident in Baja (three locals died). The accident was ultimately determined to have been caused by the drunk and stoned local that was driving the other vehicle involved. In spite of that, it took $18,000 and a year and a half to resolve the issue and get my property out of Mexico. The Baja locals involved pulled every stunt in the book to try to extract money and property from us. Given my experiences and those of others I know that have had problems in Baja you should not be surprised if the outcome is covered and clouded by the locals.

If anyone would like to know more about how we resolved our issues and retrieved our friends and ultimately our property within the Mexican legal system, feel free to pm me at captain-ray@sundiver.net

 

[DandyDon]

Hi Capt Ray and welcome to SB. I'm sure everything you posted is quite true, when you leave the US - you leave the US in many ways, got to be prepared for risks, etc.

At the risk of being a bonehead tho, I got to add: Yes, even electric compressors with clean air intakes can produce their own CO internally when worked hard enough to heat up and burn lubricating oil. One more risk, but checking tanks protects against that too.

 

[Captain Ray]

Don, yes, it is possible for your scenario to occur in addition to the other possibilities that have been presented. Most of us that have vessels in the US are regulated well enough that this issue is highly improbably on "inspected vessels". I have compressors on each of the inspected vessels that I own. I have a portable HP compressor and two low pressure "hookah" compressors that I have used over the years. We test the air on the big boat compressors semi-annually at this point. These units are stable and have been in place for some time. They are also professionally maintained, so issues would been rare. The other units are my personal units.

I did not intend to malign or accuse anyone of anything. I just would like to make sure that anyone that gets into issues in Baja should be aware that acquiring accurate information should be aware that they are fighting an uphill battle.

Ray

 

[DandyDon]

I just would like to make sure that anyone that gets into issues in Baja should be aware that acquiring accurate information should be aware that they are fighting an uphill battle.

I'm sure that is correct, and true in any other Mexican destination as well as a host of others.

 

[Captain Ray]

BTW, having seen what you have posted here and in other venues, you are not a "bonehead" in any way, shape or form.

Ray

 

[DandyDon]

BTW, having seen what you have posted here and in other venues, you are not a "bonehead" in any way, shape or form.

Ray

Well, thank you kindly. I'm a klutz diving at times, but try to post good ideas. Anyway, I hope you enjoy more of SB...