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One dead, three hurt in water

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published April 2, 2007

Four separate water accidents in the Tampa Bay area Sunday took the life of a Palm Harbor diver and seriously injured three water scooter riders.

The fatality happened about 12:30 p.m., about 15 miles west of Clearwater. Joseph Libby, 47, was diving with two friends and failed to resurface.

A Coast Guard helicopter searching the area found his body almost three hours later. Investigators are still trying to determine what went wrong.

About the time Libby vanished, a New Port Richey man riding a water scooter struck a shoal going 45 to 60 mph on the Intracoastal Waterway near the south end of Caladesi Island Park. The force of the impact ejected Denis Goode, 55, from his 2003 Yamaha personal watercraft.

He was wearing a life jacket, but it came off in the crash. When rescuers arrived, he was floating facedown and unconscious. Authorities say he wasn't familiar with the area.

Goode was treated at the scene by paramedics, then taken ashore and flown to St. Petersburg's Bayfront Medical Center, where he remained in critical but stable condition Sunday night. The investigation continues.

At 2:40 p.m., St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue was called to an accident involving a 43-year-old woman on a water scooter. The woman apparently fell off her craft, striking her head and losing consciousness as she approached the Sunshine Skyway. After a few minutes, her husband was able to pull her out of the water and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive her. Officials say her life jacket probably saved her life.

And in Tampa at 5:30 p.m., two people were riding side-by-side on water scooters near the Courtney Campbell Parkway boat ramp when the wake from a boat pushed one scooter into the other.

Carlos Yournet's leg was seriously injured when the other scooter slammed into his 2002 Yamaha.

The 26-year-old Tampa man was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. A woman who was riding on the back of his water scooter was treated at the scene for minor cuts and bruises.

The accident caused a traffic backup on the causeway because of a helicopter that landed on the road.

Tampa police concluded that the other water scooter rider was not at fault and said no charges will be filed.

Sunday was sunny, and the waters weren't too choppy. But Coast Guard officials say they weren't surprised by the incidents. They've had a busy couple of weekends because of spring break. The water has been crowded with vacationers, driving unfamiliar boats and watercraft in unfamiliar territory, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Tasha Tully.

Just Wednesday, the Coast Guard rescued a vacationing family whose rented boat caught fire. The family didn't know the history of the boat, and wasn't familiar with its maintenance quirks, Tully said. Other vessels have overturned, shut down and taken on water.

There haven't been many losses of life, Tully said, but "it's been really, really busy."

Water safety tips

- Wear your life jacket, don't just put your arms through. If you have it on, keep it on.

- Know your boat. If you're going to rent a boat at a marina, take a minute to get familiar with it. Find out what it has on board. Does it have GPS, a radio? Know what it's capable of and what it isn't capable of.

- Get a chart. Know where you're going, the depth of the water and how to get there.

- Tell someone where you're going and when to expect you back. "That's definitely saved a lot of lives," a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.

Source: Coast Guard

[Last modified April 2, 2007, 01:13:48]