Diver Dies in Lake Huron on the Dunderberg

[Rocketmahn]

HURON CO. Michigan -- The Huron Co. Sheriff’s Department reportsthe following:

Around 11:15 am Sunday, 46 year old Daniel M. Kleinert of Munger was scuba diving with 3 other friends 6.5 miles north northeast of Harbor Beach.

He and a partner were down about 140’, on the 140’ shipwrecked schooner “Dunderberg”, while the other 2 were preparing to also go under. His partner sensed that Daniel was having trouble and apparently Daniel had become unresponsive.

Preliminary investigation is indicating that his partner inflated Daniel’s buoyancy control vest, which raised him to the surface. Daniel was then found by the other 2 friends at about 11:25 am, floating on the surface. They immediately contacted the Harbor Beach Coast Guard Station by radio, to summons help while they tried to revive Daniel. The Harbor Beach Coast Guard arrived and transported him to Harbor Beach, where the Eastern Huron Ambulance Service was waiting.

Daniel was pronounced dead at the Harbor Beach Hospital a short time later.

Deputy Sheriff Sgt. James Hunt and Deputy Tyler Ramsey will be investigation the incident. Huron County Medical Examiner Dr. Richard Lockhard has ordered an autopsy, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday at the Huron Medial Center in Bad Axe. This investigation will continue.

The Dunderberg wreck, which sank after colliding with another ship in 1868, sits off the coast of Port Hope more than six miles north-northeast of Harbor Beach about 140 feet below the surface.

 

[DandyDon]

Rare that we see autopsy results, and the speed of this one is amazing...

Huron Daily Tribune > News > Local News

HURON COUNTY — The preliminary autopsy results on the 46-year-old Munger man who was pronounced dead at Harbor Beach Hospital on Sunday after scuba diving a shipwreck with friends revealed nothing abnormal.

Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson said the investigation will now focus on the dive equipment used by Daniel M. Kleinert, who was scuba diving Sunday morning about 6 1/2 miles northeast of Harbor Beach when he became unresponsive.

“(Kleinert’s) equipment, will be taken to a dive shop to have the dive tank checked and tested and have all the equipment looked at,” Hanson said Monday afternoon. “So far all we have is the preliminary autopsy results that show nothing abnormal. The toxicology results are going to take a bit longer— that might show something. We don’t know yet.”

Kleinert was diving with a partner about 140 feet in the water on the shipwrecked schooner called the Dunderburgh, which sank in 1868.

Police report two other divers with Kleinert were preparing to go under, when Kleinert’s partner sensed Kleinert was having trouble and Kleinert had become unresponsive in the water.

Preliminary investigation by police has revealed the dive partner, whose name has not been released, inflated Kleinert’s buoyancy control vest, which raised him to the surface.

Kleinert was then found by the other two friends at about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday floating on the surface of the water. The Harbor Beach Coast Guard was radioed for help by the friends.

Hanson said the two friends attempted to revive Kleinert at the scene while they waited for the Coast Guard to arrived. Kleinert was transported by the coast guard to Harbor Beach, where the Eastern Huron Ambulance Service was waiting. Kleinert was pronounced dead at the Harbor Beach Hospital a short time later.

The autopsy was conducted Monday at Huron Medial Center in Bad Axe.

Hanson said the matter remains under investigation.

 

[DKB01]

From the way the article sounded, it looks like those were preliminary findings. The full autopsy report will probably not be released for some time. That part will include toxicology as well as other lab results.

 

[riftvalley84]

"Preliminary investigation is indicating that his partner inflated Daniel’s buoyancy control vest, which raised him to the surface. Daniel was then found by the other 2 friends at about 11:25 am, floating on the surface."

Sounds like his buddy who saw he was having trouble sent him to the surface by himself???? I sure hope not!

 

[Rick Inman]

Sounds like his buddy who saw he was having trouble sent him to the surface by himself???? I sure hope not!

Actually, if his buddy had a deco obligation, it was best he completed said obligation and sent his buddy up. Better one than two.

 

[DOkie]

It is a guess of "what was the lesser of the two evils". A decision, that hopefully, I will never have to make. Anyone that has been diving for a while knows that things can go very bad very quickly under water, so I hope this doesn't turn into a "what should have been done" or "he was a bad diver" debate. According to the news articles, he was a very giving person. My thoughts go out to his family. I am sorry they missed their Sunday....

 

[riftvalley84]

Actually, if his buddy had a deco obligation, it was best he completed said obligation and sent his buddy up. Better one than two.

That's a very valid point, thanks for pointing it out. At least the buddy knew there were two other divers on the surface and I am sure he felt that was the best possible plan.

 

[Azotino]

Uhhhhh scarry,
Murphy's law... no explanation
Newton's law
fort every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.....which is the reaction???
We are not there and isn't simple to make decisions, yes you can talk but think about it:
99.9% of the times you are not there.(GOOD, I hope you are never never have it)
99.9% of the times the informations are from the news ....is the true or just for sale more papers??
99.9% of the times your buddy have deco obligations.....I don't want to skip them (sorry buddy I love you).
Condolences to the family

 

[Graeme Tolton]

We caught wind of this from the coast guard radio this weekend. At first the call was for 2 missing divers and 2 unconscious divers. Immediately people were speculating bad air... Just based on radio transmissions... This is very unfortunate and I hope that someone somewhere can learn something from this.. Does anyone else have any more info on this?

 

[DandyDon]

We caught wind of this from the coast guard radio this weekend. At first the call was for 2 missing divers and 2 unconscious divers. Immediately people were speculating bad air... Just based on radio transmissions... This is very unfortunate and I hope that someone somewhere can learn something from this.. Does anyone else have any more info on this?

Those initial calls might have been confused and based on the fact that the other diver was unseen at first. Good that they took turns, 2 in the water, other 2 waiting on the boat. I don't like leaving a boat unmanned or even shore dives much. Wonder why they suspected air?