‘Could have been so much worse’: lifesavers praised for rapid response in fatal beach incident
The actions of surf lifesavers have been credited for averting further tragedy during a fatal incident at Carlton Beach, where a father died trying to rescue his children from dangerous currents.
Tasmania
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The swift actions of volunteer surf lifesavers have been credited for averting further tragedy at a fatal incident at Carlton Beach on Sunday, when a 38-year-old Brighton father died attempting to rescue his children from dangerous river-mouth currents.
While the entire family group was pulled aboard a surf lifesaving boat with the children unharmed, the man required CPR attention from paramedics and was pronounced dead at the scene.
As friends and family of the deceased man arrived at the beach on Monday to lay memorial flowers, Carlton Park Surf Life Saving Club president Christine Gaby said patrol crews had displayed the highest levels of professionalism throughout what had been a traumatic operation for all involved.
“Our members performed their duties with the utmost care and were amazing, and even though the incident did end in tragedy, it could have been so much worse,” Ms Gaby said.
“As soon as they were alerted, the IRB [inflatable rescue boat] was in the water, and everyone was rescued within minutes.
“As a president, I couldn’t be prouder.
“The support that the crews gave to both emergency services and to the family was beyond exception.”
Ms Gaby said that members of Sunday’s beach patrol had been joined in the rescue operation by a women’s boat crew which had just finished training, and later by the club’s Emergency Response Team.
Conveying the club’s condolences to the deceased man’s family, Ms Gaby said members of the club had also been emotionally impacted by the sudden and tragic incident.
“Understandably, we’ve had some tears, and had lots of hugs,” she said.
“We’re really rallying around those that were involved yesterday, when we had some very young members on our patrol as well.
“We had a great debrief with everyone yesterday, including ambulance and police, which was really helpful.
“And we’ll continue to support our members throughout the week and months ahead.”
Acting Inspector Danny Jackson said Tasmania Police continued to investigate the circumstances of the Brighton man’s death, with a report being prepared for the coroner.
Acting Inspector Jackson urged Tasmanians to be especially cautious at unfamiliar waterways, and to swim between the flags at patrolled beaches.
“This matter is a tragedy, and our heart goes out to the man’s family, and to our officers and other first responders who attended,” he said.
“We are very supportive of our life savers who do a fantastic job patrolling the beaches, and I believe that there was a quick response at Carlton Beach on Sunday.”
Surf Life Saving Tasmania chief executive, Tony van den Enden, said Carlton Park crews had done “an amazing job” on Sunday, and carried out the rescue in accordance with their training.
Mr van den Enden said the thoughts of his organisation were with the deceased man’s grieving family, expressing hope that further tragedy could be avoided in Tasmania this summer.
“Lifesavers responded very professionally, and they worked in seamlessly with the emergency services as they arrived and the situation continued to evolve,” he said.
“We encourage people to swim between the flags, but Tasmania has 1269 accessible beaches in Tasmania, and it’s not always possible to visit a beach when it’s patrolled.
“So we strongly encourage people to go to download the BeachSafe map, to see what hazards are present at every beach in the state.
“This summer we have also launched a beach passport, which is a free, 10-minute water safety training and information tool.
“Any body of water can be dangerous, so being aware of that and monitoring conditions throughout a visit is essential.”
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