|
08/21/2006
Water Safety memories – Deanna Udy
Deanna is the Water Safety Program Representative
for Lower Mainland BC.
She was 14 years old and on summer vacation with
her family in Osoyoos, BC. One hot day she went on
a waterskiing trip with her friend, her nine-year old
sister and a woman who coached a water ski team.
Before the boat left the dock the girl reminded the
passengers to put on lifejackets, an important safety
rule enforced by her training in Red Cross Water
Safety and Royal Lifesaving Bronze Cross. Their
initial reluctance meant she had to insist, and refuse
to go along with them until the boat’s driver
grudgingly produced jackets for all aboard.
Her moment of insistence ended up making all the
difference for the four passengers. Shortly after
leaving the dock, 200 meters from the shoreline, the
driver accelerated the boat suddenly to test its power.
The surge of speed caused the craft to turn over on its side and capsize at high speed, dumping all aboard
into the water. The girl’s lifejacket pulled her to the
surface, where she came up to the sight of “debris
and bodies from the accident spread over 30 meters”.
Her friend had suffered a spinal injury and her sister
had a nasty gash over her face, but the lifejackets
kept all afloat, and when help arrived in the form of a
rescue boat, the young girl knew not to pull them
from the water without a spinal board, but instead to
tow them to the shore.
Her friend’s back injury was painful, but she
recovered with time and rehabilitation. Her sister
had sustained a cut from her eyebrow to her cheek,
but six stitches closed it.
This was 28 years ago, and the 14 year old girl is now
all grown up. In fact, she is Deanna Udy, Program
Representative for the Lower Mainland. This
incident, she says, “may have had a different ending
if I hadn’t had Red Cross and Royal Life (now
Lifesaving Society) training to learn the importance
of life jackets.” Facilitating the delivery of this
critical training is now a part of her day-to-day work
with the Red Cross. Return to Featured Article List
|
