There are a lot of stories about it in the news today. My own theory is that he held his breath for longer than he was used to and reflexively took a breath as soon as his head reached the surface. At that point he probably either got water into his lungs or had a “laryngospasm” which blocked his airway when he was already low on oxygen and he lost consciousness. With drowning victims its about 50/50. Half of the people who “drown” don’t have much if any water in their lungs.
My crew and I once responded to bicyclist who got hit by a truck and landed face down in a puddle on the shoulder of the road that was about 6 inches deep. There were lots of witnesses but they were afraid of moving him because they thought that he might have a neck injury.
He still had a pulse when we and the paramedics got there but he was not breathing. He didn’t have any water in his lungs because he had a strong laryngospasm, but the paramedics were not able to get their airway tube past it in time to save him. I am not sure if the idiots who put a blanket over him while he was laying face down in a puddle of water could have saved him either, but it sure made us wonder about their common sense.
[I am not sure if the idiots who put a blanket over him while he was laying face down in a puddle of water could have saved him either, but it sure made us wonder about their common sense.]
Man, what a story.