Ok here's a question... Lets say you are a relatively strong swimmer, and you see this event happening. You are on the shore. Instinctively you want to help, but should you? It seems like the victims sort of dragged each other under in an attempt to save themselves so would the same thing have happened to you had you tried to help? I think I would have tried to help, I may get dragged under for a while but they would let go before I drowned I hope. What would you do?
Yeah, this is the most panicked situation you could ever be put in, so rational logic is tough to muster up. I can't say I blame the kids...when someone you care for deeply is dying I think it's tougher to NOT do something even if it's the best course of action.
You shouldn't swim out to someone unless you have had training - especially in dangerous waters. You have to know how to come around them and basically put them in a choke-hold from behind. There are even methods to fight someone off if they are trying to grab on to you. What you should to is find something that floats, like an Igloo cooler and throw it to them. Or if you feel comfortable swim out to them with the cooler but don't let them get close enough to you to grab you. And you shouldn't let your kids play in a river if they and you don't know how to swim. You might as well let them play on the freeway. Horrible.
That's a good point. But, the real heroes don't think about such things in the heat of the moment. They act and think later. I wouldn't necessarily label someone who doesn't try to save them a coward..but they are no hero, either. It would be tough to have to live with seeing that and not helping knowing you could swim. They could very well drag you under with them. But, I would think you would just have to target one individual at a time and save one at a time. It's not like they can swim and grab on to you. I would have to go for the closest to the shore first and work my way out. If you go for the farthest out, then you would likely save less people and be at more risk.
You should try to save them. Risking your own life to save multiple people, especially kids is certainly worth it. Your chances of saving more than one would probably be very slim though, especially with no flotation device.
Tragic, but... How the hell do people not know how to swim or at least keep themselves afloat? Seriously? I've never understood that.
I think it really depends. I've been swimming nearly my whole life and have been trained for numerous years on how to rescue people. Even with strong skills in both departments, you can never really account for how strong waves are in the water, how much people panic, etc. I would definitely attempt rescues but anyone who is just a strong swimmer with no training I would tell to go find something to throw to the victims. What will most likely happen is that you yourself will become a victim.
You obviously missed the article that Lil Pun posted. It stated that drowning people cannot make voluntary movements like reaching for a piece of rescue equipment because their arm movement is controlled by the instinct to push against the water.
It's simple really. No one ever taught them how to swim. People aren't born knowing how and for a lot of people, it's just not something they're taught.
I'm furious at the adults just watching the teens die as they cried for help. And I don't understand how people don't know how to swim. Pantomiming the actions in a movie doesn't work? and a BIG huh?
I'm not someone who laughs at stories involving death, but I admit I did chuckle a little on this one when I initially started reading this. I give them an A+ for effort, they were all brave souls, there is not doubt about that. However I don't get why 6 of them would go after each other like that, you would think one of them would have tried a different strategy....I would have found a long branch and used it to save those teenagers, seems as though these people switched off their brains....I don't know the circumstances so its easy for me to say this.....but still.
From what I've heard from lifeguards this is the case and if you are not a strong swimmer there is possibility of getting drowned yourself as the drowning person panics. One tactic I've heard is that you wait for the drowning person to weaken so that they can't struggle. Of course in this situation where multiple are drowning you might lose a few and you would also have to be able to recognize when you can get them before they have died.
If they were "just kids" WHY THE &^#$ are the parents letting them play in the water even though they cannot swim??!!?? If they're not "just kids" and accordingly know better - don't play in water you are not familiar with!! And in either case, the 38 yr old who just "watched them die" instead of grabbing a branch, or running for help is negligent in the extreme. Holy **** dude. I don't know how to ride a motorcycle. I would be absolutely stupid to get on one and ride into traffic without first getting some training. Similarly, getting on a motorcycle parked in my garage is not equivalent to riding one just like taking a bath does not mean you're capable of wading in a river.
It's true that during drowning, people struggle to throw their arms up and do the things that you normally see in the movies/shows. But, there are certainly ways around it and still ways to help with objects around you depending on where you are at...obviously if you just throw something to them, most likely, they will still drown...it should ideally be attached to a rope you are holding and you throw it over them, pulling it forward.
I don't know how to swim. I took a class at YMCA many years ago and still couldn't do it, so now I just stay away from water.
