NORTH WALES, UK (10 Sep 2004) -- THE narcotic effects of gas on scuba divers could be the reason why three men died in a North Wales quarry, a coroner said yesterday. Dubbed the pool of death, Dorothea Quarry in the Nantlle Valley claimed the three lives in separate accidents. Coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones said that the common factor in the tragedies and in many other fatalities he had dealt with involving the quarry, had been nitrogen narcosis. He added: "It affects the ability to deal with emergencies and what can be a minor incident becomes major. I think the most important thing that should be highlighted is the danger of nitrogen narcosis." He recorded verdicts of accidental death on the three men. Henry Le Coz, 36, a furniture maker and an experienced diver of Camden Crescent, Bath, vanished in the pool, which is more than 300ft deep, in November 2001. A police underwater search team and a robot found his body at a depth of more than 90 metres. Mr Pritchard-Jones said there was no clear explanation for the death but it seemed Mr Le Coz was affected by nitrogen narcosis. Michael Gott, 52, a shop fitter of Whitfield Avenue, Glossop, drowned the following month. He had reached 49 metres, but got into difficulties after returning to a ledge at 40 metres. In addition, a coupling on a hose attached to a jacket wasn't secured properly. | | Dorothea 'killer quarry' Mr Gott, who had been wearing a heavy weight belt, might have experienced difficulty inflating the buoyancy jacket. "It's important to make sure equipment is functioning prop-erly. Had that jacket been connected properly Mr Gott would have been able to ascend," said Mr Pritchard-Jones. Nitrogen narcosis could explain why he didn't drop his weight belt when he began to sink, he added. The third diver to die was Jon Hepherd, 53, a manager, of Charminster Close, Warrington. He died last December after he got into difficulties in an underwater tunnel nearly 60 metres down. His friend Lyndon Taylor, of Cuddington, Northwich, tried to save him. Mr Taylor noticed Mr Hepherd had no regulator in his mouth and offered him his spare one, but he would not take it and clenched his mouth shut. "Within a few seconds he became unconscious," he said. SOURCE - Daily Post |
