FLORIDA KEYS, Florida (27 July 2005) -- A 16-year-old diver nearly drowned after he became entangled in a rope while doing underwater shore restoration at a Walt Disney World hotel, authorities said. Alan Kringel of Lake Park was in critical condition early Thursday at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Kringel was working Tuesday on a barrier in a lake behind the Walt Disney World Dolphin, according to an Orange County Sheriff's Office report. After Kringel's helmet surfaced, other members of the Anchor Marine Environmental Services crew found him tangled in a rope used for diving and pulled him into their boat, the report said. The teen wasn't breathing and had no pulse, and he was flown by helicopter to the hospital, officials said. | | Anchor Marine Environmental Services, a Riviera Beach contractor, had been hired to perform shoreline restoration. William Billard, the company's vice president, said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating. Kringel was certified to scuba dive about eight months ago, and he had been working for the company for about six months, according to the sheriff's report. Hotel spokeswoman Treva Marshall said Kringel's age had not been disclosed before the shore restoration began. "Obviously, we were very surprised when we found out the age of the young man," Marshall said. |
