A Durban spearfisherman died while his friend escaped unscathed after they got into difficulty in a vicious riptide while diving near a popular spot in Brighton Beach on Sunday afternoon.
The Queensburgh man, whose identity has not yet been released, had a faint pulse when he was pulled out of the water by lifeguards on duty around 5pm.
But after being resuscitated on the beach, the spearfisherman was taken to King Edward Hospital, but left untreated for 45 minutes by the hospital staff who allegedly refused to treat him, according to a paramedic, who has sent a letter of complaint to the KZN Health MEC.
He was admitted to hospital around 6pm on Sunday but died from “secondary drowning” shortly after midnight.
A metro police officer who was at the beach, and who cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said that the surviving diver had said that the pair had got into trouble while diving in front of the rocks.
“The current was strong and had taken them out about 150m.”
He said that the diver said that they dived there often.
“Sea conditions can be rough and very dangerous,” he said.
He said the surviving diver had been “fine physically” but would not recover mentally for a long time.
“He lost his friend of 20 years right in front of him …”
The survivor was too traumatised to speak to the Daily News.
But he commended the lifeguards for their quick response and repeated attempts to revive his friend.
Garrith Jamieson, a Rescue Care paramedic who treated the man at the scene and rushed him to King Edward Hospital, alleged that staff at the hospital argued for 45 minutes on whether or not to admit him.
During that time, according to his letter of complaint, the paramedics continued to give him life support. At one stage they had run out of oxygen, and nurses refused to give them any, and they had to fetch more from the ambulance.
King Edward hospital staff allegedly told Jamieson to take the man to Wentworth Hospital as they did not have a ventilator machine at their medical emergency ward. But Jamieson pointed out that he had seen at least three unused ventilators in the hospital’s trauma unit when they had brought the patent in.
Jamieson refused to leave with the patient, telling doctors and nurses that the diver was critical and moving him to another hospital could cost him his life.
He also told staff that they had superior medical equipment to treat a drowning victim than that at Wentworth Hospital.
“Eventually after arguing with them (for 45 minutes) a head of department emerged and admitted him,” Jamieson said…
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