JCat 38

Here's a very odd story which doesn't make sense, I just don't buy the story that a fireman can drown with 3 people on board. I think that some kind of foul play must be involved but no one is asking the hard questions!

Please read: Cleveland firefighters scoured the waters around Sandusky until midafternoon Monday for firefighter Kenneth "Mike" Alderman, even after the Coast Guard halted its rescue efforts.

Firefighters planned to resume the search today for Alderman, 44, who worked for the last 17 years at Fire Station 4 near St. Ignatius High School on Lorain Avenue. He was scheduled to work Monday, but he fell off of a recreational boat into Lake Erie Saturday night.


Alderman fell overboard into Lake Erie waters Saturday from a small recreational boat near Sandusky. Three other people on the boat jumped into the water to help him but were unsuccessful. None of the boaters was wearing a lifejacket, and one was Alderman's fiancée, the Coast Guard said.

Chris Sunkin

Well there's not much in the way of details. Unconscious people sink pretty quickly. Who knows what else was involved. If the fellow fell of while anchored, then I'd say it sounded odd. If he fell off the back of a fast moving boat and wasn't noticed missing for a few moments, then the story seems more plausible. If they whole bunch was somewhat tuned up, that wouldn't help.

There are alot of details that bridge the gap between reasonable and fishy. And firefighters have no special dispensation from drowning- it can and has happened to some of the strongest swimmers.

Another case where a life jacket would have probably made a dramatic difference.

JCat 38

I just heard that coast guard believes he may have been hit by his own boat after he fell in. Perhaps the captain had to turn around to find him and accidently struck him.

c_deezy

iTrader: (1)

I thought when I read about this the other day the information was that the guy freaked out when he fell in. Then when the other people tried to help him he was thrashing around so much that he eventually just wore himself out and sank. And I think it was at night as well, you go under at night you may as well cash in your chips...

AB From Windsor

A sad and tragic story about another boating death. Will know more details when they recover the body. Condolences to his family.

JCat 38

A fireman that can't swim??? I thought they were the ones who come out first when your drowning on a river. Still very odd. The captain should have calmed the situation and used the throwable first, have him grab it, and hold on. Cool heads were needed.

Chris Sunkin

You apparently don't spend much time around fire stations. Some of them can't tie their own shoes.

We do alot of business with gov agencies, including fire, PD, county and state facilities. The best fit looking of them all is the Postal Service. I'm astonished sometimes at the number of grossly overweight cops.

Life jackets don't care if you're unconscious or if you're freaking out. They still make you bob to the surface.

JCat 38

Here's another tragic ending just in:

SANDUSKY

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is investigating a drowning late Wednesday night near the Cedar Point breakwall at the point of the peninsula.

The U.S. Coast Guard Station at Marblehead was called about a person in the water at 9:54 p.m. Personnel at the station said two Coast Guard boats and one boat from Lake Erie Towing were dispatched. They said Susan "Sue" Vastag, 46, Sandusky, fell off the 54-foot power boat as it navigated toward the dock.

Jim Kennedy of Lake Erie Towing said Vastag was unconscious when he spotted her from the water at 10:10 p.m. Coast Guard personnel performed CPR on her while taking her to Magruder Memorial Hospital in Port Clinton.

She did not survive.

TexomaPowerboater

Seems more like an incomplete report rather than a "fishy" story.

Jupiter Sunsation

We had one in the Intracoastal last year, two off duty firefighters involved. One guy riding a jet ski was trying to splash the boat his buddy was in. They began splashing each other with their wakes and after an error the boat sideswiped the jet ski crushing the operator's leg. Guy hits the water with artery gushing, jet ski operator died before getting back to land. The buddy was charged with BUI manslaughter.

Firefighters, cops, mailmen are all just regular people with jobs. When off duty they can still do all the stupid things the general public does but when they do it they get all the press.