GLASGOW, Scotland (4 July 2006) -- A coroner says a heart attack killed Burlington diver Gerry Tychansky almost a year ago in Hamilton Harbour's murky waters. Forensic tests show Tychansky, 43, died of natural causes while working underwater on a low-budget horror film near the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club Aug. 21, said coroner Dr. Jack Stanborough yesterday. But even though Tychansky did not die as a result of malfunctioning equipment, the coroner's office will recommend all divers, regardless of their experience, double check their equipment and make sure it's working properly. "There was evidence his equipment was not maintained in the best order it could have been, but at the end of the day it ends up being a natural death." Tychansky and his wife, Darlene, were working on a $500,000-horror flick called Marina Monster, directed and produced by Hamilton filmmaker Christine Whitlock. "Clearly there were some areas of safety that could have been optimized here," the coroner said. The experienced cave diver was using a rebreather, a highly technical kind of diving tank that recycles a diver's exhalations to extract unused oxygen. A rebreather does not emit a stream of breath bubbles like regular scuba tanks, which is an advantage in filmmaking. | | Stanborough said the ministry of labour, which launched an investigation because the death occurred during a commercial shoot, will not press charges against Whitlock and her company, C.J. Productions. Yesterday, a Ministry of Labour spokesperson said details of its investigation were not immediately available. SOURCE - Hamilton SpectatorCDNN Related NewsCANADA - Experienced scuba diver dies during filming of low-budget horror film SCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
