Perpetrator of fatal diving accident apprehended

The wanted man responsible for causing the accident and death of the young diver, as reported on Sunday, May 5, has himself turned himself in to police and been arrested. The accident occurred in the waters of Port Phillip Bay, near Melbourne.

The 41-year-old man turned himself in at the police station the day after the accident, on Monday 6 May. We recall that he was wanted by the police as the perpetrator of a fatal accident. The speedboat he was driving hit a 20-year-old man emerging from the water, who died as a result of his injuries.

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At the moment the man is assisting police with their investigation and has not yet been formally charged. From the findings so far, we know that the two 20-year-olds conducting the dive were using a buoy to mark their emergence point, thus making sure they would be visible to passing vessels.

One of the divers even waved to nearby vessels, making sure he and his colleague were visible to them. This all happened literally moments before the collision occurred. Moments later, the 29-year-old found his partner unconscious, floating in the depths.

Thanks to assistance from the crew of a passing vessel, the victim was quickly transported to Frankston pier where he was attended to by paramedics. Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation being undertaken, the young man could not be saved.

The victim’s partner explained to the police that he and a friend were hunting for fish (a common practice in the area). Both men were experienced hunters and the area where they were in the water was properly marked with flags and diving buoys.

There is a speed limit of five knots for boat operators travelling within 50 metres of a float or 100 metres of a dive flag in all State of Victoria waters.

Source: theage.com.au