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On 22 Jul 1994 Gamble@em*.mh*.co*.co* wrote: > > There was a fatality earlier this year using one of the most advanced > rebreather designs available. My information indicated the diver made a > mistake prior to entering the water that caused his death. We will probably > always have cases of "pilot error". Shortly thereafter, I replied: > > Are you referring to the fatality at Huautla? >From what I know, it seems > pretty conclusive that Ian died of Diabetes-related complications... On Fri, 22 Jul 1994, Richard Wackerbarth wrote: > > Interesting comment. By Ian, I presume that you refer to Ian Rolland. The > current issue of "Underwater Speleology" reports on page 7 the death of Ian > Rolland in Sotano de San Agustin on 27 Mar 94. In that article they report: > "It appears that he failed to switch the injector back on when he > re-entered the water." There is no indication of any contributing medical > condition. > In addition on page 3, they make the particular reference: "As incorrect or > inaccurate reports are of little use, we resist publishing potentially > erroneous material and prefer to wait..." > Clearly someone is mistaken. On Mon, 25 Jul 1994, Dr. Neal Harman wrote: > > Do you have any further information on this? The published accounts in the > UK caving and cave diving press all say failure to turn O2 back on - if this > is wrong, the cave divers would certainly be interested. On Mon, 25 Jul 1994, Bill VanderClock wrote: > > PLEASE explain! "Diabetes-related complications" covers a lot of > ground. Complications of what?? Hi everybody.... I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone about the accident involving Ian Rolland's death on the Huautla Expedition. Part of the reason for the delay is that I wanted to verify my understanding of the circumstances of the accident with Bill Stone, the expedition leader. This morning, I received from him the following: *********************************************************************** I have been working with Kenny Broad (who was at the site in the cave along with myself) and Bill Hamilton to put together a conclusive report on the Ian Rolland incident. I should have that by Friday. It is approximately 15 pages in length. However, I can summarize the findings as follows: a) the rig functioned flawlessly, both mechanically and electrically and was subsequently used by other team members on two transits of Sumps 1 and 2 (450m, and 170m, respectively). b) Hypoxia was not a factor in the fatality, despite the position of the solenoid cutoff valve being in the "off" position c) "pilot error" is not indicated, unless you consider diabetes mis-management to be a form of pilot error. d) the only scenario consistent with all data surrounding the incident, both observed during recovery and that which was downloaded from the black box, is that of hypoglycemic blackout caused by insufficient food intake in the face of substantial, prolonged exertion (he was out of the water hiking in sand with a rig that weighed as much as he did). Those who may not believe that the rig was working correctly can contact Barbara am Ende, the individual who used it following the accident, at "karst@un*.oi*.un*.ed*" on the Internet. This incident sends up a red flag (to me at least) over just how serious the controversy over diabetics and diving really is. I am now of the opinion that unless an individual who is diabetic is willing to perform blood sugar sampling before and after each dive, they should not be in the water. Rolland was a new diabetic and had never had a hypoglycemic incident. I believe this gave him a false sense of security that allowed him to forego taking a blood sugar sampling kit into the cave. ********************************************************************** That's what Bill sent to me. I'm not a cave diver, and I have absolutely no first-hand experience with these events, so I'm afraid I wont be able to provide any additional details. Also, I don't know anything about the 15-page report which Bill mentioned, nor how, when, or if it will be available publicly. If I hear of it becoming available, I will certainly let techdiver subscribers know about it. Also, I have very little knowledge or personal opinions about the "diving with diabetes" controversy, so if Bill's comments spark a new thread, I'll be interested to read about it, but likely won't have anything to contribute. I hope this has been useful for the interested individuals... Aloha, Rich deepreef@bi*.bi*.ha*.or*
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