3 Family Members Drown Trying to Save Their Dog

[Coach]

Wow very sad indeed. Some people are pretty cynical in here but its hard to explain the love for a pet, especially one like a dog. I know my brothers friend once saw his dog fall through ice in a sizable pond. The kid broke the ice at the shore, swam underneath and saved his dog. Could he have died? For sure. But when you see someone (or something) that you love in peril the reaction is natural. Just like the father went in after his son. That dog could have been the kids best friend. He was around 16 as well.

[polak]

Originally Posted by valo403

BS, 16 year olds almost universally think they're untouchable and greatly overestimate their ability to do pretty much everything. Adults, even adults with years of experience around water, frequently underestimate the danger posed by the ocean.

Agreed.

He's still a Darwin award winner. It's not like it was a calm day and he was sucked in by a rip tide. He willingly went into the water.

The father is the brave one, not the son.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Awaiting Sliver's thoughts on this...

[Coach]

Originally Posted by polak

Agreed.

He's still a Darwin award winner. It's not like it was a calm day and he was sucked in by a rip tide. He willingly went into the water.

The father is the brave one, not the son.

Why can't they all be brave? Just because what he did was ill-advised doesn't make it not brave. He's brave for trying to save something important to him, as is the father. Even the two girls on the sidelines are brave for NOT going in to try and save their family members even though I'm sure they would have given everything to be able to help but knew they couldnt.

Its just an unfortunate accident. Because it centered around trying to save a dog vs a person doesn't make it anything other than that.

[MrMastodonFarm]

I don't think polak fully understands what a Darwin award is. This could easily be labaled a stupid decision, some agree, some don't. It's far from what one would consider Darwin worthy though.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by valo403

This is also an example of the surf at Big Lagoon, so it's not always that intense. According to the official reports what caused this was a 'sneaker wave', which suddenly and unexpectedly reaches much further up the beach than the rest of the surf.

You actually justified polak's position with this picture. They said it was a steep beach, you can tell from your photo that there would be a massive current even with the surf in the picture. Where the waves are crashing there will be a 1-3ft drop with a large under tow. You'd have to be a life guard level swimmer or have a board to get out of it on the day you have pictured, let alone if you got caught by a wave that "doubled up" on you.

Worst part is there were more than likely signs posted everywhere that the surf/beach are dangerous.

[kipperfan]

The thread title makes this sound like it could be a Darwin award situation, but after reading it I think it was a reasonable response by everyone involved. Finding out that only the son dies trying to save the dog, the Dad then dies trying to save the son and the mothers death is almost unrelated to the other two - I can't really find fault with anyone. Maybe the son shouldnt have gone in after the dog but it is amazingly easy to underestimate the ocean and the strength of the current and I (even knowing what I know about ocean currents) would probably have tried to save my dog too.

As for the dad, any reasonable Dad is going to jump into the ocean to try and save his Son. Heck, the one most likely to be awarded the Darwin out of this scenario is the Mom - standing their watching her husband and son die as she herself doesn't try to either save them or move backwards out of harms way is pretty stupid - but given the circumstances I can see how it happened.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

You actually justified polak's position with this picture. They said it was a steep beach, you can tell from your photo that there would be a massive current even with the surf in the picture. Where the waves are crashing there will be a 1-3ft drop with a large under tow. You'd have to be a life guard level swimmer or have a board to get out of it on the day you have pictured, let alone if you got caught by a wave that "doubled up" on you.

Worst part is there were more than likely signs posted everywhere that the surf/beach are dangerous.

You can? How? I assume it's due to your experience with such things. I have no idea what the current would be like from looking at that, and I think that would be the case for most people.

I don't think going in after the dog was a smart decision by any means, but labelling it Darwin award level when it's a 16 year old is ridiculous.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

You actually justified polak's position with this picture. They said it was a steep beach, you can tell from your photo that there would be a massive current even with the surf in the picture. Where the waves are crashing there will be a 1-3ft drop with a large under tow. You'd have to be a life guard level swimmer or have a board to get out of it on the day you have pictured, let alone if you got caught by a wave that "doubled up" on you.

Worst part is there were more than likely signs posted everywhere that the surf/beach are dangerous.

But you don't know, it's all conjecture on your part.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Asking for a Darwin award is a bit absurd. This was clearly an irrational act based off love, not stupidity. For instance the morons who were out trying to get on TV during Sandy? If one of them had died, Darwin award for sure. Here? Unless you've never owned a pet, you probably don't understand the love us pet owners have towards our pets. Which is really your loss then.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by valo403

You can? How? I assume it's due to your experience with such things. I have no idea what the current would be like from looking at that, and I think that would be the case for most people.

I don't think going in after the dog was a smart decision by any means, but labelling it Darwin award level when it's a 16 year old is ridiculous.

I agreed with his position it's a dangerous beach. The Darwin part, well I won't step into that debate...

You are right though that it is hard to tell unless you've experienced it, because the surf looks pretty calm at the surface. The best rule of thumb is that if there is no one else in the water, there is probably a reason.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm currently organizing a million member "Disgruntled Forum Poster" march.

That should be pretty easy to do if you can use all of your previous accounts.

[chummer]

Originally Posted by Iginla

The son should be up for a Darwin Award award that's for sure.

no,the Darwin Award goes to someone who gets a second chance but keeps making the same mistakes.

"In the spirit of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives. Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival."

I don't think what the son did was idiotic. Just an adrenaline pumped, fight or flight reaction.

[polak]

Apparently the kid made it back to shore and then went in after his dad.

This is turning out to be a pretty crazy story. Doesn't change my opinion that the son made a stupid decision but I guess it does, technically, rule him out of Darwin award contention.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...sEnabled=false

Gregory managed to pull himself back onto the sand, but after realizing his father was drowning, both he and his mother went in to save him.

[Old Yeller]

What kind of a dog was it? And did that dog have access to a gun?

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by polak

Apparently the kid made it back to shore and then went in after his dad.

This is turning out to be a pretty crazy story. Doesn't change my opinion that the son made a stupid decision but I guess it does, technically, rule him out of Darwin award contention.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...sEnabled=false

It says both the mother and son went in to try and save the father.

[Coys1882]

It's staggering how many insensitive ####s I'm willing to suffer to enjoy this forum.

[J epworth]

I'm almost 100% certain I've gone surfing at that beach when I was 12. Crazy how easy it can be to drown when panic sets in. You always have to know what dangers you are facing at every beach, and how by just staying calm and going with the current is probably going to save your life.

[Coys1882]

This is a Darwin Award:


In the heat of the moment acting to save someone you love is not; I'd say it's part of what makes us human.