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Robert Kitchin / Things
The sailor was swept through the water with a Zodiac like this one. (File photo).
A sailor who was dragged alongside an inflatable boat as punishment during a Navy diving course suffered serious injuries when his foot got caught in the propeller.
Stuff He learned of the incident while investigating the death of Able Diver Zachary Yarwood at the next dive course intake a few months after the August 2018 incident.
The New Zealand Defense Force confirmed that the lead instructor who oversaw the “punishment” was convicted of two serious crimes and has since left the Navy.
A court of inquiry into Yarwood’s death criticized the culture at the diving school, revealing that it was misgoverned with an excessive emphasis on physical prowess, and led to the Defense Force being fined more than a quarter of a million dollars. Dollars.
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He found that Yarwood died in March 2019 of hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) while using an unauthorized gas switch procedure that he hoped would improve his dive times.
Yarwood’s father, Chris Yarwood, was furious when he learned of the above incident.
“I am disgusted to hear that a diver suffered such a serious injury during the course before Zach’s death; it just shows the reckless neglect of security they show their staff, ”he said.
STUFF
The New Zealand Defense Force was fined after competent diver Zachary Yarwood, 23, was killed during a night training exercise.
Stuff He has learned that the first incident occurred when eight students from the diving course were forced to hang from ropes on the hull of an inflatable Zodiac in order to cross the port of Waitematā.
This was called “remedies”, an effective punishment for not complying with the preparation and preparation times during the day.
A source familiar with the incident said there were four divers on each side of the Zodiac. After about 20 minutes of being swept up in the water, one of the divers was exhausted and let go, just as the boat was turning.
He was sucked into the propeller, the sole of his foot fell open. It is understood that he suffered severe nerve and tendon damage and spent at least a week at Middlemore Hospital.
SUPPLIED
Zachary Yarwood died at North Shore Hospital after an incident during a dive training exercise at Devonport Naval Base.
He needed two surgeries but was left with a bent toe, which required another operation. He was out of work for about two months and was unable to return to full duties for about a year. It is understood that the Navy paid for one of his surgeries.
The NZDF said in a statement that the day’s lead instructor was charged with two crimes and found guilty on both counts. Since then he had left the Navy.
The instructor was charged because of the severity of the incident “and because the action was significantly out of step with the discipline of the service.”
“Action by that instructor and any other NZDF member taking actions that they know to be unacceptable will not be tolerated.”
Chris Yarwood said it was ironic that no individual was charged in connection with his son’s death. “When appropriate, they choose to ignore the standards they set.”
The NZDF says that 14 recommendations from an Investigative Tribunal on the ship’s propeller incident “have either been completed or are under final review for completion.”
Yarwood said he wanted to know what recommendations had been implemented prior to Zach’s death. He also questioned whether the Navy played down the incident when it was reported to WorkSafe.
A WorkSafe spokesperson said a diver in training was said at the time to sustain lacerations to his foot after coming into contact with a boat propeller.
“The matter was not raised with the WorkSafe investigation team and the file was closed.”
The spokesperson said he was concerned about the number of incidents involving the Defense Force and that he was working with it to ensure that health and safety regulations were met.
The NZDF said that following Yarwood’s death, the Navy was improving its diving systems, focusing on improving safety, training, governance and structure.
