Duffel Blog

Share this post
Puddle depth to blame for Coast Guardsman's concussion during swim call
www.duffelblog.com

Puddle depth to blame for Coast Guardsman's concussion during swim call

Jul 29, 2016
Share this post
Puddle depth to blame for Coast Guardsman's concussion during swim call
www.duffelblog.com

NASSAU, Bahamas – A Coast Guardsman who was injured Friday while jumping from the flight deck of the Cutter Bear (WMEC-901) remains hospitalized, says Coast Guard Atlantic Area spokesman Lt. Scott McBride. The injury occurred during a swim call in a puddle.

Seaman Aaron Hagerty suffered a concussion when he struck bottom during the swim call, which is a morale activity where crew members swim off the sides of the boat.

“After his injuries were assessed, Hagerty was placed on a pool noodle and floated to Bahamas Medical Center,” McBride said.

“While the accident remains under investigation,” he added, “preliminary indications are the the cutter was operating in a shallow puddle at the time, and the depth is considered a primary factor.”

Witnesses says Hagerty leapt off the flight deck while yelling, “I’m the best rescue swimmer!” before plummeting head first into the three feet deep water.

Hagerty will return to work on light duty, which is ironic “considering he didn’t do much duty to begin with anyway,” according to his department head.

Swim call resumed Saturday, according to McBride.

“Bear will hold a second day of morale off the coast of Nassau, before redeploying to Key West, where they plan to wade around until their next scheduled port call,” McBride said.

The Bear is a Medium Endurance Cutter homeported out of Portsmouth, Virginia. The crew say they spend most of their time setting General Emergency for major fuel oil leaks and receiving unscheduled 6-month overhauls.

Whether Friday’s incident will affect deployment plans depends on whether or not Hagerty can wade back to the boat, McBride said.

Share this post
Puddle depth to blame for Coast Guardsman's concussion during swim call
www.duffelblog.com
Comments

Create your profile

0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit)

Skip for now

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.

TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2022 Duffel Blog LLC
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Publish on Substack Get the app
Substack is the home for great writing