BRIELLE, New Jersey — Another diver who was diving off the Tuna Seazure dive boat was airlifted to hospital for treatment of potentially fatal decompression sickness. Authorities told CDNN that William Chambers, 47, of West Chester, Pennsylvania was unable to walk after he resurfaced from a 46-meter deep dive. The crew of the Tuna Seazure immediately called for help and MONOC, Manasquan First Aid, and the Brielle Fire Department rescuers responded at about 4:00 pm. A medevac helicopter flew Chambers to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital for hyperbaric medical treatment. The scuba diving accident is under investigation by the Brielle Police Department. Decompression sickness (the bends) Well over half of scuba divers afflicted with decompression illness report symptoms within 1 hour of surfacing from the dive, some 95% of victims show symptoms within six hours and almost all show symptoms within 24-48 hours. Nitrogen bubbles released while resurfacing cause damage by mechanically obstructing blood flow and can also cause a local chemical disruption of the vascular beds. Any scuba diving accident victim with signs or symptoms of decompression illness, which can cause death or permanent paralysis, should IMMEDIATELY SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT. Specific symptoms include: Mild to severe joint pains involving the arms or legs.Itching of the skin, which can progress to other symptoms of decompression illness.Rashes that can be accompanied by itching.Swollen and painful lymph nodes.Pain in the head, neck, or torso, which is often indicative of a severe DSC hit.Nervous system complaints, such as weakness on one side of the body, numbness, pains shooting down an arm or leg, inability to urinate or defecate, or other strokelike symptoms. "Chokes" including burning chest pain, cough, and shortness of breath."Staggers" (indicating an inner ear problem) including a spinning sensation, deafness, ringing in the ears, or vomiting. | | Just four months after another scuba diver was injured while diving off the Tuna Seazure dive boat, a man was airlifted to hospital for treatment of potentially fatal decompression sickness. |
