[ricki]

Two questions were recently circulated by email and PM regarding medical issues related to recent kiteboarding accidents. In the interest of fostering discussion, these questions have been reproduced below. If the membership wouldn't object, I would be pleased to post some of the responses received to date via email or PM.

NOTE: The identities of the victims and locations of the accidents are not included in these summaries. Given the nature of reported observations and difficulty of fact checking, these accounts would be best considered as plausible, hypothetical scenarios as opposed to actual incidents for purposes of discussion.

In Case #1, reportedly the 40 year old man suffered a fractured C2 vertebra while body dragging in shallow water (knee to waist deep), with a 6 m kite in light (3 bft. winds, 8 - 12 kts. with rare gusts up to 4 bft., 11 - 16 kts.). Conditions were partially cloudy with no storms or violent gusts reported to be present. Wind records have been found that confirm these conditions from a station. He had started his instruction on the day of the accident.

He was body dragging along with the instructor and one other student watching. The man was unhooked and presumably body dragging at a fairly low speed. Suddenly the man was seen to drop one side of the control bar and then the other. The kite fell to the water and the man eased face down in the water. He was not seen to have his head completely go below water while body dragging. I understand that he was found unconscious and was carried ashore. There was no external lividity or mark of impact observed on or about his head or upper torso. The bottom is said to consist of sand with no rocks. I have asked for more particulars about the man's size, weight, apparent conditions other sports, etc. There is to be an autopsy but it is unlikely that I will learn any details if things follow usual form.

No additional details about the victim may be forthcoming. From a lay perspective it might be concluded that there may have been some form of preexisting injury or weakness for what should have been relatively minor current induced trauma to cause a fatal fracture. Do you feel a preexisting condition would be necessary for a fatal fracture to occur under such conditions? Do any other impressions or ideas come to mind?