Dive boat accident involving Dive tech and Cathy Church boat

[Tienuts]

On the other hand, nobody was physically harmed and the article said that she has a good past record and admitted her responsibility.

The only reason no one was harmed was pure luck. All the customer and crew gear was set up midships where she impacted the Divetech boat. It was pure fortune, there was a small group on the boat that day, and they were all on the stern having the dive briefing. Had anyone been gearing up, they would have been instantly killed. She actually hit Atatude so hard on the port side, her anchor was almost touching the starboard window. The boat didn't sink due only to the diligence of the crew that day, and those who came to lend assistance.

I'll leave the comments about her business, and reputation alone. I have plenty to say about this, but a public forum isn't the correct place.

I will say that people are missing the magnitude of her negligence. She wasn't operating a 100 foot yacht, so you can't say there was a mis-communication. It's not like her engine room failed to answer bells. She left the helm of a boat that is less that 28 feet long.

I've made this analogy many times. What she did was the equivalent of setting the cruise control on her van at 60mph, and getting out of the driver's seat. While going through a school zone full of kids. Anyone who condones this sort of behavior needs to have their head examined. That she didn't kill people is good fortune. She easily could have slaughtered dozens. What do you think that would do to the tourism industry in Cayman? The negative impact would ripple through the media, and the loss of tourism would put many people out of work in a country you seem to enjoy quite a bit.

And had this been my grandmother, I'd have been the first to condemn her, and take away her license. I would visit her in prison, but I would make no excuse for her.

What if she was your Grandmother who had made a terrible mistake and by sheer luck managed not to physically harm any people? Wouldn't you hope for a little leniency in that case? Would criminal charges against Grandma make anything better?

 

[Doctorfish]

I agree with Tienuts. There is no way to get around the known facts. This was gross negligence. The thing speaks for itself.

 

[KathyV]

The only reason no one was harmed was pure luck. All the customer and crew gear was set up midships where she impacted the Divetech boat. It was pure fortune, there was a small group on the boat that day, and they were all on the stern having the dive briefing. Had anyone been gearing up, they would have been instantly killed. She actually hit Atatude so hard on the port side, her anchor was almost touching the starboard window. The boat didn't sink due only to the diligence of the crew that day, and those who came to lend assistance.

I'll leave the comments about her business, and reputation alone. I have plenty to say about this, but a public forum isn't the correct place.

I will say that people are missing the magnitude of her negligence. She wasn't operating a 100 foot yacht, so you can't say there was a mis-communication. It's not like her engine room failed to answer bells. She left the helm of a boat that is less that 28 feet long.

I've made this analogy many times. What she did was the equivalent of setting the cruise control on her van at 60mph, and getting out of the driver's seat. While going through a school zone full of kids. Anyone who condones this sort of behavior needs to have their head examined. That she didn't kill people is good fortune. She easily could have slaughtered dozens. What do you think that would do to the tourism industry in Cayman? The negative impact would ripple through the media, and the loss of tourism would put many people out of work in a country you seem to enjoy quite a bit.

And had this been my grandmother, I'd have been the first to condemn her, and take away her license. I would visit her in prison, but I would make no excuse for her.

I agree with Tienuts. There is no way to get around the known facts. This was gross negligence. The thing speaks for itself.

I know what you are saying and I understand, but I keep thinking that there may be more to the story. I wasn't there so I don't know all the details. What if she had a sudden medical issue like a mini-stroke or something? It's such strange behavior that I keep thinking that there had to be another factor involved.

 

[Norrm]

This was gross negligence.

It's not gross negligence unless a judge or jury rules otherwise. Careful what you write here, it could be considered libel.

 

[Doctorfish]

Let me re phrase in that case. Cathy Church may be a diligent, competent, capable captain but my personal preference would be not to set foot in a boat if she were at the helm.

 

[Tienuts]

I know what you are saying and I understand, but I keep thinking that there may be more to the story. I wasn't there so I don't know all the details. What if she had a sudden medical issue like a mini-stroke or something? It's such strange behavior that I keep thinking that there had to be another factor involved.

Sorry. I was there. There is not more to the story. She is an (alleged) idiot. This is (allegedly) standard procedure for her. She did this same thing (allegedly) to Turtle Divers the week before when her unattended boat (allegedly) severed their mooring

Her medical emergency is she is 70 and needs to retire. (Allegedly.)

She drove through the side of Divetech’s vessel and carried on the next day, business as usual. Divetech has suffered financially in regards to paying all of the repairs and being down a vessel that they can’t offer to their customers. And Divetech’s owner was stuck with all of the logistics of organizing repairs (a time consuming process) in addition to running her business.

Everyone on Grand Cayman I speak with is horrified at her behavior.

 

[pauldw]

It's not gross negligence unless a judge or jury rules otherwise. Careful what you write here, it could be considered libel.

It isn't libel if it's true. I'm not saying it it true or untrue in this case. I'm just saying that legally, libel isn't something written that's denigrating, it has to actually be untrue.

 

[caydiver]

Tienuts. I am sorry for what you went through. I cannot imagine anything more horrifying. I was t-boned in a big red Land Rover in daylight with bright white snow on the ground by an old man who made a mistake. I am alive. I had huge massive soft tissue damage around of a third of my upper head, I had huge bruising on the entire right side of my body (happily nothing broken) They cut me out and strapped my swelling head to a gurney, that was horribly painful. No one was there to take care of the one little kid I left at home while I drove 10 minutes to pick up the littler kid. My kids were waiting for mom who wasn’t coming. Count your blessings. I hold no grudges against him the driver. It was an accident and I am so lucky to have seen those kids grow up to be wonderful adults. Didn’t go for a law suit although I actually worked for a First tier law firm and could apparently have had an easy and free suit. Sometimes accidents happen and sometimes the best you can do is walk away with a smile that you still have all the things that make your life rock. Be happy. I am. My eye works, I saw my kids grow up and I have a happy and full life. You can too.

 

[tridacna]

Is she still in charge of steering a boat?

 

[martincohn]

Sometimes accidents happen and sometimes the best you can do is walk away with a smile that you still have all the things that make your life rock. Be happy. I am. My eye works, I saw my kids grow up and I have a happy and full life. You can too.

And this is why you will have some karma in the bank. We all need to stop and remember we are all riding the same ball in the middle of nowhere...