WILTON, Maine (15 July 2006) -- After remaining in a coma for five days following a scuba diving accident in Wilson Lake last Sunday, Janice Smith died at Central Maine Medical Center Friday night, a family member confirmed. Smith, 58, of Wilton never regained consciousness after being underwater without air for at least 10 minutes. Being without air for that long can result in brain damage and chances of survival diminish. Smith was a veteran nursing supervisor at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington and an experienced diver. She and her husband, family practitioner Dr. James Smith, were both enthusiastic scuba divers and co-owners of Mainely Scuba on Main Street. According to a relative on Saturday, the family declined to release a statement or comment publicly about Smith's death at this time. Wilton police have secured Smith's scuba gear and police Chief Wayne Gallant said it will be examined by a diving professional to determine if the accident was due to faulty equipment or operator error. Earlier this week, he said he was delaying any inquiry until he was assured the accident was not a result of a medical condition. Because the death is the result of a diving accident, it will be the state Medical Examiner's case, he said. "The medical examiner will determine the extent of the investigation and we would be involved to help the family get answers," Gallant said Friday. "We definitely would go forward with the investigation to fill in some gaps." Last Sunday, at about 1:30 p.m, Smith was swimming on the surface to join five fellow divers in Wilson Lake. As she and her dive buddy, Aleece Kaulback, approached the dive site and they submerged, Smith went into distress, according to the investigating officer, Robert Cole Jr. | | Kaulback attempted to share her air with Smith by "buddy breathing" but Smith may already have had water in her lungs. Smith slipped out of Kaulback's grip and sank in about 12-feet of water, police said. The nearby dive team, once alerted, rushed to search for Smith and were assisted by pontoon boat owner Daniel Fonseca, who spotted bubbles rising to the surface about 25 feet away. Smith was brought up by another diver and carried to shore while a fellow diver attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while hanging onto the side of the boat. On shore, he performed CPR and was joined moments later by Smith's husband who responded from their nearby home when he heard the ambulance call for a drowning victim. According to diving medic Laurie Gowen, there are 800 to 1,000 diving accidents a year involving United States and Canadian residents and an average of 80 to 100 fatalities. Recreational scuba diving has its risks but is considered by those in the field as a safe sport as long as proper precautions and safety checks are made on equipment before going in the water, Gowen said. "The number of diving accidents are very small among the tens of thousands dives a year. The difference is, when there is a problem, the problem -- whether equipment failure or operator failure -- is big," Gowen said. SOURCE - Morning SentinelSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
