The lure of Kauai’s beaches and picturesque ocean claimed three more lives in one 24-hour period this week. Three visitors died in separate incidents on North Shore-area beaches Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday afternoon, Jeanne Coots of South Dakota became the
The lure of Kauai’s beaches and picturesque ocean claimed three more lives in one 24-hour period this week.
Three visitors died in separate incidents on North Shore-area beaches Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday afternoon, Jeanne Coots of South Dakota became the seventh person officially listed as a drowning death this year on Kaua’i. Twelve people drowned here in 2000 and another dozen drowned in 1999. Most of the watery fatalities were tourists.
Coots, 60, collapsed at Tunnels Beach in Haena at about 5:30 p.m. after snorkeling with family members. She had complained of being tired and returned to shore immediately prior to collapsing, authorities said.
Cardio pulmonary resuscitation was administered by bystanders and continued by Kaua’i County Fire Department and rescue personnel. Coots was later pronounced dead at Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihu’e.
According to county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka, an autopsy attributed Coots’ death to drowning.
At about the same time Wednesday afternoon, Mark Fairchild, a 29-year-old Californian, collapsed at Waioli Beach Park.
Authorities said he had been boogie boarding with his wife but had returned to shore. CPR was administered by beach goers and then by responding firefighters and medics, but Fairchild died. An autopsy had not been completed by yesterday.
And on Thursday, again at Waioli Beach Park, Joseph Weller, 51, of Oregon, apparently drowned while taking surfing lessons.
Weller was discovered floating in the water. An autopsy is pending.
Bob Kaden, a Fire Department battalion chief, said the spate of ocean-related deaths is disturbing.
“This is a real serious problem. The danger is obvious when we have high waves, but sometimes the danger is not as obvious and then the uninformed and the inexperienced have these tragic accidents,” Kaden said.
He said there is “just no way we can cover all of the beaches all of the time with a lifeguard. One thing we are looking at right now is perhaps we need to separate the times and have one (lifeguard) start early and get off early, and one start late and get off late so the beaches are covered for a greater number of hours.”
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
