dad saves kid but drowns himself.

[vash]

this situation has been playing out in my brain for a bit.

I kayak. religiously. I cant imagine sitting on my kayak without my trusty traditional foam filled PFD. this will never be me.

I dont have a kid of my own. been out with other peoples kids and I make the parents buy their child a PFD and I clip it on the kid before I head out. (boating usually)... I did have a single mom have me take their kid bass fishing..and I made sure..PFD or you dont go with me. (my buddy was trying to hook up with mom, and I agreed to wingman)

the story:

https://abc7.com/post/man-dies-saving-7-year-old-son-drowning-kayak-flipped-lake-perris-officials-say/18262596/

they were kayaking and this situation sucks...if they had PFD, it would be low hanging fruit.. they would be laughing about it. hate to disparage the dead, but damn!!

[Jeff Higgins]

The stress engineer that had to review and sign off on all of our hair - brained ideas and designs wherein there was such a requirement was an avid river kayaker. Brilliant man. He retired on a Friday and drowned that Saturday morning on our Skagit River, out celebrating his retirement with his wife in their kayaks.

You just never know.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by vash

this situation has been playing out in my brain for a bit.

I kayak. religiously. I cant imagine sitting on my kayak without my trusty traditional foam filled PFD. this will never be me.

I dont have a kid of my own. been out with other peoples kids and I make the parents buy their child a PFD and I clip it on the kid before I head out. (boating usually)... I did have a single mom have me take their kid bass fishing..and I made sure..PFD or you dont go with me. (my buddy was trying to hook up with mom, and I agreed to wingman)

the story:

https://abc7.com/post/man-dies-saving-7-year-old-son-drowning-kayak-flipped-lake-perris-officials-say/18262596/

they were kayaking and this situation sucks...if they had PFD, it would be low hanging fruit.. they would be laughing about it. hate to disparage the dead, but damn!!

How the heck did he keep his son afloat but end up drowning himself?

[Otter74]

People who are drowning are panicking and will often more or less climb on top of someone trying to save them in an effort to keep their heads above water, pushing that person under. That may have happened in this case.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Some of the media were portraying the father as a hero for saving his son.
Sadly he was a victim of arrogance (not using PFD's) and now his son gets to live with that memory.
Would not be surprised that alcohol was involved at some time prior too.

[flipper35]

Our pups even wear PFD when we canoe/kayak on the lake.

[red 928]

Reminds me of Randy California.
Played guitar in Jimi Hendrix's band and hanging with (influencing) Walter Becker.at age 15.
Had his own band and first album release at age 16.
Had Jeff Baxter, Rick Derringer, Brian Selzer, and several others appearing to have a blast in his music video
Died saving his son from drowning.

California was born Randy Craig Wolfe to Robert Wolfe and Bernice Wolfe (née Pearl) and grew up in a musical Jewish[1] family in Los Angeles.
He was 15 years old when his mother and new stepfather, Ed Cassidy (later to become a founding member of the band Spirit, with Randy), moved to New York City in the summer of 1966 because Cassidy had a number of jazz gigs lined up. It was there, at Manny's Music, that he met Jimi Hendrix.[3]

He played in Hendrix's band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames that summer.
California, Cassidy and Pearl lived in an apartment building in Forest Hills, Queens called the Balfour, whose other residents included future Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, who cited California's blues-based guitar style as an influence on his own playing.[4]

The stage name "Randy California" was given to him by Hendrix to distinguish him from another Randy in the band, Randy Palmer, whom Hendrix dubbed "Randy Texas".[1]
When Hendrix and California were invited to come to England by Chas Chandler, former bassist of British Invasion band the Animals—who became Hendrix's manager and producer—Randy's parents refused to allow him to go, insisting the 15-year-old stay and finish high school.[5]

Together with Cassidy, songwriter/front man Jay Ferguson, bassist Mark Andes (with whom California and Cassidy had initially formed a band called the Red Roosters) and keyboardist John Locke, California founded the band Spirit. Their first, self-titled album was released in January 1968, a month before California's 17th birthday.

Death
California drowned in the Pacific Ocean on January 2, 1997 at the age of 45 while rescuing his 12-year-old son Quinn from a rip current near his mother's home at Molokai, Hawaii. He managed to push Quinn (who survived) toward the shore.[17]

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by 3rd_gear_Ted

Some of the media were portraying the father as a hero for saving his son.
Sadly he was a victim of arrogance (not using PFD's) and now his son gets to live with that memory.
Would not be surprised that alcohol was involved at some time prior too.

A dad saving his child is not a hero, he was simply doing his job as a parent.

Saving some total stranger, that is a hero.

And yea, he was not very smart to go out there with no flotation devices. As a kid of 14, living in Hawaii, my mom asked one of her friends if I could go surfing with their boys. They were older, and experienced. It was my first time. They said the waves were way out, and to paddle along with them. I was tired by the time we got out there to the "good waves". I stood up, and promptly fell off, and the board just kept going by itself. There I was, almost a mile out and the other kids were gone. No flotation device on me. I had to swim almost a mile through the surf occasionally hurling me to the bottom. I finally crawled up on the beach, exhausted. Right then the kid that was supposed to teach me asked where the board was. I emphatically said I don't give an EFF! and lay there trying to catch my breath. It was the closest I have come to dying, and I kept say to myself, just keep swimming. Fortunately I was a strong swimmer. That was my experience at surfing.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

A dad saving his child is not a hero, he was simply doing his job as a parent.

Disagree.

[oldE]

A friend with whom I have spent some time on the water never wore a pfd and questioned my usage. I replied yes I could swim, but probably not if I entered the water because of the boom cracking me upside the head.
He drowned after falling overboard while working his salmon cages.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Sad. Happens in Eastern WA about once per year on our many lakes, rivers. Parents with no pfd, maybe they have put one on the kids. kayak/canoe, whatever goes over, kids make it, parent drowns.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jul/01/he-saved-us-widow-recalls-life-death-of-husband-wh/

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by oldE

A friend with whom I have spent some time on the water never wore a pfd and questioned my usage. I replied yes I could swim, but probably not if I entered the water because of the boom cracking me upside the head.
He drowned after falling overboard while working his salmon cages.

I went sailing on the bay with my dad, who just got his permit. Boom came across and hit him in the forehead and he fell backwards into the water. I thought I was going to watch him die, but he had the gear and I was able to hook him to the side of the boat and was working on getting him to climb up the back of the boat when a windsurfer (Jonathan Livingston) came up to help. Took him to the ER and it was classified as a partial drowning.

[stevej37]

I was part of a twenty or so person tubing trip down a river near me. The river was used for logging many years back and the ramps where the logs entered the river were still there. The pilings caused huge undertows and we knew to avoid them.
One of the girls got too close with her tube and was sucked under and got wedged in between her tube and the pilings. It seemed like five minutes before she finally freed herself. Choking, she came up and had lost all her strength. We got her to the bank and she recovered enough after a while to ride on a tube with another person the rest of the way.

None of us had pfd's....we were in our teens and thought we didn't need them.

.

[KFC911]

I've worn PFDs when whitewater rafting, etc., but my life on boats has been without one on... like 99.9% of the time ... no one else did/does either ... it's like a PPI

Actually ... other than kids ... never.

My Lab can swim just fine too .... LOL

Whitewater River-Dawgs wear 'em ... I picked one up for a ride in a rubber Funyak once ... lower Nolichucky after the rapids ... hoot !

edited: RIP to the dad ... easy to armchair.

He did what every dad I know would do under the circumstances...

Live & Learn too...

[gregpark]

Originally Posted by Otter74

People who are drowning are panicking and will often more or less climb on top of someone trying to save them in an effort to keep their heads above water, pushing that person under. That may have happened in this case.

For sure. After high school I got my life saving certificate and spent the summer as a life guard. Mostly at pools but at a beach for a spell. I watched a canoe capsize with several teenagers. No big deal, they were all laughing except I noticed one of them in trouble. The bow line had wrapped around his leg and he was panicking. I swam under him and untangled his leg but he was coughing water and freaking out. They taught us to approach the panicker, swim under them and up the legs in back of them, cross chest carry grabbing their arm pit hard enough to hurt and yelling chill out! It worked. Another time at a public pool i noticed a body at the bottom of the deep end. I brought him up, pumped water out and got him breathing again. He said his hamstring cramped up and he sunk like a rock. Humans are out of their element in water.

[GH85Carrera]

Back in the days of B&W TVs I was in the boy scouts. At summer camp, they said we all had to learn to float in the lake. I was a very skinny and active kid, with all muscle and very low body fat. I just sank like a rock. Several instructors held me at the surface, and let go, and down I went. Every councilor tried to get me to float, and I just sank. They were all puzzled until the old grey said "he is too skinny to float".

I could tread water with just my hands or just my legs, and swim like a fish. Floating was not an option for me. They allowed me to earn my swimming merit badge even though I could not float. The old grey said you will never teach a rock to float.

[red-beard]

I was a lifeguard. The LAST thing you would do was go in the water after a person. They are panicking and will drown you. Throw a float, reach with something, do anything except jump in, except as a last resort.

Final test was going in after a trained lifeguard, who would basically attempt to drown you! Sometimes you needed to subdue the person you were saving.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I grew up in the water around canoes, folbots, sailboats, etc. You name it.
Closest I ever came to death was in a plastic kayak.
Sorry to hear.

[A930Rocket]

When we were kayaking in the late 80s early 90s, we always wore PFD’s, helmets, etc. Too many things in the river to catch you or hit your head on while upside down.

Back in the 70s in Atlanta, they used to have the Ramblin’ Raft Race. I don’t know how many people went down the river, but there were thousands in the water and thousands on the banks. People went down in inner tubes, rafts, homemade floats, etc. Lots of beer and show me your tĩts.

And not a PFD in sight.

Good time though.

On another note, most people got out at the Riverbend Apartments, just inside 285. There was one guy, who was passed out on his back with his knees bent up and his pecker hanging out of his shorts. My buddy got a Styrofoam cooler top and put it between his legs to block the view. Everybody cheered.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Really sad story. I enjoy kayaking but am not very good, they’re sketchy little boats. No way I (or a family member) would be out there without a PFD.

We lake boat over the summer, by law we have to have enough PFDs for everyone on board and anyone under 16 has to wear one. It’s enforced too, Water Patrol will quickly pull you over and inspect your boat if they see kids that aren’t wearing life jackets. No kids on board my boat without life jackets, it’s not worth the risk. During the summer there’s probably several drownings per month.