ventana fatality

steveandkris · Since 27 Oct 2008 15 Posts Â

i saw this thread today, and thought i would start another topic with actual details. at about 4pm or so yesterday, there was a kite down in the water right in front of new winds. bison was out kiting and checked on the rider. he was face down in the water. he was not breathing. i had heard that jim tried some rescue breathing on the water, then towed the man in. CPR was performed on the beach. He was attended to by a doctor (camped next to us), and some EMTs that were on the beach also. CPR was unsuccessful. he was about 60 yrs old. "rumor" is that he may have had a heart attack on the water. that is all we know right now. sorry that the post on pskite didn't provide much info.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Brutual..... its been a tough winter.

Thank you for the update.

jp · Since 04 Mar 2005 87 Posts wherever there are whitecaps Â

this is so sad.

i was watching the other thread hoping it was not true. not so

my heart + thoughts goes out to his family + all that tried to help

thanx for giving info

jp (Jane)

Nak · Fri Jan 30, 09 11:00 pm

What a tragedy. My condolences to his loved ones. May he find steady winds on his journey.

Kurt · Since 04 Nov 2005 73 Posts Â

I e-mailed some friends of mine in the main LV campground. Here is the e-mail that I got back from my friend Martin. I think that I met Alan last year when I stayed in the campground for 6 months. He was from Canada.

Hi Kurt,

What a year done here. First the girl from the Gorge and then Brian Tyre (sp) was severely injured and now this.
Brian is a new kiter just getting up on his board. He launched near Steve and Debbie's and body dragged down to near where the old dock was. Now a pile of rubble with rebar sticking out of it. Someone caught his kite there and was turning it over when he said he wanted a launch to go back out. Apparently he got lofted onto the rubble and is still in hospital here after 2 weeks. Multiple fractures to his legs and pelvis. He is in rough shape and now has blood clots (not sure on this).
The thinking is there was a lull and he pulled his North bar in and probably hooked into the Micro loop so no depower when he tried to sheet out. Should have ejected but that probably wasn't possible in the air.
Those damn micro loops are tradgedy waiting to happen in my book. Anything that can hook in will at some point. They certainly shouldn't be on a begginers bar.

Here is what i know about the death the other day.
First, the thinking is that it was a heart attack, which we are all hoping it is. Do you remember John and Jill with son Kyle?
Jill's sister is Brenda and her husband is Allan.
They kite out of Jack and Pam's tarp next to ours.
I was joking with him as he got ready to go out. An hour later Jack says,"Allan is dead"!
What a shock to the whole campground.
He was found with his kite down on the only bouy out there. There didn't appear to be any signs of injury. They think he went down before and drifted into the bouy. He was wearing an impact vest and helmet. He only started to come back to where he started on the beach last week so no jumping etc.

Will let you know more as we find out.

Martin

earthsurfer526 · Since 11 Jan 2009 55 Posts Hood River, OR Â

I was one of the EMT's/ WFR on the scene that assisted with CPR on Allen and counseled the family afterwards. I felt it might be helpful to the community for me to share some first hand information on this tragic incident. Here are some of my observations and some information we gathered from the rescuers, family, kiters and the doctor on the scene. Please forgive me if any of these details are incorrect or misleading. The following information is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
According to multiple reports it appears that the victim, a 59 years old Caucasian male from Vancouver Island was found unconscious in the water around 4pm. The victim, Allen, appears to have drifted into the buoy, which is about a 100 yards off shore in front of New Winds. The rescue kiter (Jim Bison of New Wind) body dragged Allen to the shore. Jim said that Allen was not tangled up on the buoy and was unresponsive when he arrived on the scene. It was approximately 10 to 15 minutes between spotting the victim and bringing him to the shore. There was a doctor and two EMTs on scene. The rescuers cleared an airway and performed CPR. After about 20 minutes, Allen remained pulse-less and the doctor pronounced him dead. When the victim arrived on shore he was already past the window of recovery (after 6 minutes permanent brain cell damage occurs due to lack of oxygenated blood in the brain). Statistically speaking, given his age, his physical condition, the lack of basic life support in La Ventana, and the length of time he was pulse-less, the victim had about a 1 percent chance of survival (on average only 5 to 10 percent of people whom receive CPR survive).
One theory is that the victim had suffered a heart attack before drowning. The family reported that Allen had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In addition, they shared that Allen led an extremely a very stressful life to contributed to a medical history of ulcers and exhaustion. According to the eye witness reports we gathered there was no mechanism of injury. The victim was a newer kite boarder whom was not jumping or attempting any tricks. He was wearing a helmet and life jacket that most likely would have protected him from knocking himself out during a water crash. One witness said that it appeared as if he just stopped kiting and was resting in the water before he drifted into the buoy. All of these factors lead the doctor on scene to theorize that the victim may have had a heart attack and then drowned.
What stood out the most to me during this incident were the brave and selfless efforts of the rescuers and the kite boarding community. New Wind Kiteboarding School went above and beyond in their efforts to assist the victim. Jim’s labor to body drag the victim to the shore was heroic given the difficulty of this task. Other New Wind employees helped translate with the police and helped acquire much needed information for the family. Various kiteboarders assisted in gear recovery, caring for the body, contacting the authorities and assisting in CPR. This was an incident where no one just walked away or kept kiteboarding, everyone lended their support.
I am sure that I speak for the kiteboarding community in leaving our prayers and best wishes to his family during this difficult time. Allen is survived by his wife and six children.

vanislandgirl · Since 02 Feb 2009 1 Posts New Member

My Dad Alan Williams passed away January 29th in La Ventana Mexico. My family and I are very grateful for the amazing help and support we received from everyone in La Ventana. My mom, Brenda really wants the kiting community to know that it was not a kiting accident that caused my father's death, and though the autopsy report was largely inconclusive (it listed the cause of death as drowning) , there was no sign of a stuggle and it appears there must have been some circumstance that caused him to be unconscious. Dad did have a history of high choesterol and high bp, but was not on any medication and his blood pressure had been down since being in mexico. Dad worked extremly hard building and expanding his own buisnesses and he did indeed have many stresses as any business owner does. Dad was found in very passive postition with his kite board still on his feet, we hypothesize that he most likely wasn't feeling well so he sat down to rest, pulled down his goggles and took a rest and then an unknown event caused him to lose consciouness. My Dad was the most relaxed I'd seen him in years in La Ventana, and he was so proud of himself for recently mastering the ability to kite up and down wind. My mom is determined to return to La Ventana next year where my aunt and uncle have a house and continue kiteboarding. Thank you to the entire community for the support.

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 469 Posts I used to be Obsessed

My heart goes out to you and your mother. I know how it feels to lose a father, and I truly sympathize with you and your family. I am also an older kiteboarder who just recently learned how to stay upwind. There is nothing I would trade for the free spirited feeling kiteboarding can deliver. I am sure your father felt the same way. May he face steady winds, and may the edging bring him back close to where your heart is.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Very sorry about your dad, I hope for the best for you and your family.

rmurray · Since 06 Feb 2008 13 Posts New Member

I am extremely sorry for your loss. I was one of the kiters on scene and tried to help out all I could. In my opinion there was a tremendous effort made by everyone to revive Alan. I can not imagine what your family is going through and I will never forget this tragic event. I called home that night to tell my fiance I love her. Your loss reminded me of the importance of telling family how much I love and care for them. Once again, my deepest sympathies go to you and your family.

forrest · Tue Feb 03, 09 11:18 am

My family's thoughts go out to you as well.

Kraemer · Since 24 Apr 2006 1736 Posts Sky Pilot Unicorn Captain

Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow.

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

Your dad sounds like a great guy who lived his life to the full, right until the end.

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

My heart goes out to you.

If given a choice between passing away unexpectedly but in a beautiful place while doing something active that we love and find joy in, vs lingering in a hospital bed, I'd sure we'd all take the 1st option.

surfboy1968 · Since 17 Jun 2008 224 Posts south padre island Stoked

peace and love to you and your family.

JNETTE · Since 02 Feb 2006 149 Posts PORTLAND Stoked

So very sorry for your loss. Your family is in my prayers.

gorgekiter · Since 06 Feb 2009 1 Posts New Member

Does anyone have a photo of Alan Williams?
I am soo sorry for his family's loss.
I am wondering if he was the wonderful gentleman who's kite I landed on the beach while I was in La Ventana. I was there when the accident happened.
Anyway, I had a great conversation with this person and I am curious if this person was Alan.
Please post a photo of Alan if you have it...
Thanks.
And again, I am sooo sorry for the family's loss.
Thanks to those who go out of there way all the time for fellow kiteboarders and windsurfers. We are a great close knit community.
J