Man shot in spearfishing accident under Twin Bridges in Sarasota

[Hetland]

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Update: 4:30 p.m. Police say the victim of an accidental spear shooting is in the ICU with life threatening injuries.
The names of the two men in their 20s are being withheld at the moment.
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A man has been taken to the hospital after accidentally being shot in a spearfishing accident.
Sarasota Police Department officials say two people were diving under the Twin Bridge, spear fishing, and somehow one diver accidentally shot the other diver.
The incident took place near the Sarasota Yacht Club
One patient has been transported in very serious condition.

Westbound John Ringling Causeway is closed.


Check back for updates, this is a developing story.

Man shot in spearfishing accident under Twin Bridges

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Rule #1: Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot.


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[Bob DBF]

10 COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety should be etched in your memory forever. Let them govern your actions wherever and whenever you're involved with firearms. In the woods. On the range. Or in your home. Please take time to review and understand these rules.

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
2. Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.
3. Don't rely on your gun's safety.
4. Be sure of your target and what's beyond it.
5. Use proper ammunition.
6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care.
7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.
8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.
9. Don't alter or modify your gun and have it serviced regularly.
10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

I, for the most part, use these rules for spearfishing. So far I have not shot anyone, but I have missed fish while complying with them. Also it does help to solo, it removes anyone close in case of an accidental discharge.



Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

There are no accidental discharges. Only negligent* ones.

*i got eliminated from a multi-day shooting comp for an ND on the second stage. The rifle was pointed in a safe direction but it absolutely gutted me.


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---------- Post added July 4th, 2015 at 02:51 PM ----------

The real rules I follow as I learned at Boomershoot, InSights and Thunder Ranch. I think too many is too many.

1) always treat every gun as loaded
2) keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
3) only point your gun at things you are willing to destroy
4) be aware of what is beyond your target



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[DandyDon]

It seems he was shot in the head. Still in ICU. Victim of spearfishing accident remains on life support - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida

 

[Hetland]

It seems he was shot in the head. Still in ICU.

I saw elsewhere that it went in under one ear, and came out through the other, basically through the brain stem. Hopefully he's an organ donor.

 

[DandyDon]

[h=1]Diver in Sarasota spear-fishing accident succumbs to injuries[/h]

 

[Hetland]

Diver in Sarasota spear-fishing accident succumbs to injuries

Diver in Sarasota spear-fishing accident succumbs to injuries
By AMARIS CASTILLO acastillo@bradenton.com
July 8, 2015 Updated 4 hours ago

SARASOTA -- A Sarasota diver involved in a spear-fishing accident over the holiday weekend was removed from life support and passed away Wednesday, according to a statement released by Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Jarrod Ditmars, 21, was hit in the head by a spear gun after his friend, Dale H. Bartush, 24, accidentally discharged it underwater.

At about 2 p.m. Saturday, Sarasota police officers went to a reported diving accident near Twin Bridges east of the Sarasota Yacht Club on John Ringling Causeway. After the accident, Bartush took Ditmars to the surface and began yelling for help, police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said. When emergency medical services arrived, Ditmars was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Ditmars' parents, Robert Ditmars, a longtime area resident and travel coordinator, and Maribeth Ditmars, a longtime teacher, submitted the following statement: "As the parents of Jarrod Ditmars, we would like to thank the community of Sarasota and surrounding areas for their kind, caring and compassionate support of our family during this tragic time. We will never forget what you did for our family (and his brother, Chris, in 2001). "Jarrod was removed from life support today and departed for heaven." Three recipients in Florida will receive Jarrod's organs. "We ask that everyone join us in our campaign to create safety measures and appropriate regulations for the use of spear guns. That is how we can all honor Jarrod's memory."

The Jarrod Ditmars Fund created Sunday has raised $11,310. Support has poured in on the GoFundMe page with people sending prayers and support. Ditmars' mother, Maribeth Ditmars, wrote she was "overwhelmed with gratitude for the support we are receiving from all over."

Read more here: Diver in Sarasota spear-fishing accident succumbs to injuries | Breaking News Blog | Bradenton Herald

Happy to see that some good can come from this.

 

[agilis]

This family has seen more than one tragedy. Their oldest son died from Leukemia, as I recall, about 15 years ago. Now Jarrod.

 

[Storker]

There are no accidental discharges. Only negligent* ones.

Quite. And since everyone fcuks up once in a while, everyone needs at least a couple of layers of safety so that when - not if, but when - you do something stupid, it doesn't have fatal consequences, just a bit of hurt ego.

Having handled (long) guns since I was a pre-teen, I like to think I'm pretty used to weapons. And I have the "safe direction" reflex hardwired into my brain. And frankly, I would neither carry a speargun on a dive nor buddy up with someone carrying a speargun. Pole spear? Fine. Speargun? Not just no, but hell, no!

It seems as if there's a cultural divide across the Atlantic here. I don't know any SCUBA diver who dives with a speargun, around here those are almost exclusively used by freedivers. SCUBA divers use pole spears for UW hunting and are generally content with hunting slow-moving and /or bottom-dwelling species like monkfish, wolffish or flatfish. Free-swimming species that more or less require a speargun are mostly caught by freedivers, who don't have to use a significant chunk of their mental bandwidth to keep track of their buddy.