Here is a repost from another forum on this sad accident:
Question:
man why the hell did'nt they stop him?!?! - this is like 3 + deaths this year?-
if u ain't fast ure last....
Response:
They tried to stop him. It was not fully apparent that major squall winds were on the way. It was only a possibility as with any squall. Many squalls are wet and harmless while others toss out winds 30 to 50 kts. or even more. It is like airplane pilots, they avoid flying through clouds. They just don't know what sort of conditions they will encounter aside from loss of visibility. Kiteboarders just don't know what squalls will bring. Wise kiteboarders will avoid them and scope them out well in advance online, TV or other suitable means. More about weather planning and monitoring for kiteboarders appears at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kitesurf/ ... EFERENCES/
As to stopping him, short of cutting his lines or punching him out that may not have been feasible. Many have tried on numerous occassions to talk sense to new kiteboarders with no success. I have tried several times myself with no positive outcome. People can be stubborn , stupidly self-destructive and defend their perceived right to screw up right into the casualty ward.
So what do we do? I would say to try to get people who sell kites to push good quality professional training as heavily as possible. Some retailers require proof of training or through in some intro training with new kite sales. Guys who sell used gear need to get responsible about this as well. It isn't their problem until a imprudent used kite sale results in an incident that stops their access to the local launch.
Hang gliding went through the same process. Enough people died and were injured to compel the manufacturers to form an association and require all retail sales to go through certified instructors with mandatory training before sale of a glider.
In addition you can bring your friends along when you talk to these people. It takes away from your time on the water. Then again, this lost of time is nothing like a ban might cause if things were to be left to travel their natural course and serious accidents/incidents were to occur.
As to the two other fatalities. One may have been avoidable in Germany, but only if a variety of factors including equipment and policies were present. I am very pleased to say that there is a competition series underway in Europe that requires quick release loops, kite leashes, helmets, impact vests and liability insurance. Sounds like a pain but nothing like dealing with an avoidable accident. It started with the Kitesurf Trophy Fehmarn.
The one in Puerto Rico may have been avoided by an impact pfd but there is no certainty about that at all. There will be unavoidable accidents in this sport. The PR fatality may have been one of those. All of the rest have been avoidable to some degree or another by some analysis.
A main way in which we could decrease serious injuries and fatalities would be to spread common awareness of hazards and the means of avoiding them. That is basically through knowledge and encouraging people to use good judgment. Lke they say there are bold pilots and old pilots but not many old bold pilots. Kiteboarding with poor or rushed planning, preparation, careless riding and in more extreme conditions can be like that.
Rick Iossi