SOP for Dive accident, fatal

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DiveExplorer

Contributor
Messages
75
Reaction score
9
Location
Europe
# of dives
200 - 499
Do you guys have SOP for fatal dive accidents ? Does your agency take victims dive equipment for examinations ? What is your procedures on that ?

At our unit we are called in all accidents and we handle site investigation and dive for evidence, like body, dive gear and such. We do not investigate the equipment, our CSI unit handle that. But we are called in to make recommendations and assist CSI with the equipment. The equipment goes through testing like, the air in tanks are tested, regulators tested, all equipment is photographed and tested. But what I´m thinking does someone but the gear together and test it in pool or on a real dive. Just a thought on how other units do this thing ?
 
Around here photos and statements are taken then remaining tank psi is recorded after that regs are inspected to make sure they were not tampered with they also go to the lds where the last service has been performed and inspect service log books
 
It all depends on the circumstances. If we lose a diver below 90' depending on age and skill level, either the state police or psd divers (off the books) will do a dive and leave the diver in place as we take pictures, look but do not touch equipment unless it is neccesary, and then send the victim off to the coronor. If something like an equipment malfunction is determined to be cause of death, that just opens up a can a worms that we have to sort through piece by piece. If he had dive buddies we take statements, look at medical records, similar types of gear, manufactures reccomendations on how to use the equipment, warranty information, insurance, the whole nine yards.

If shallow water pretty much the same, but we can investigate the area. Black water or low viz, we have to recover the victim and then try and sort out what went wrong. As LittleRay mentioned above psi is recorded and equipment inspected after the recovery.
 
Take a look at how the IUCRR does the in situ part of their investigation before they hand off the victim to the authorities. It would be a good model to follow from an evidentiary standpoint. Having all of that information available can go a long way to helping investigators out.
 
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