A Michigan woman claims her husband’s death could have been prevented with a little-known awareness campaign about the dangers of snorkeling, according to a lawsuit against the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Officially, in February 2022, a medical examiner determined that 64-year-old Ray Johnson’s cause of death was drowning, the leading cause of death for tourists in Hawaii, according to Patti Johnson’s lawsuit.
But her attorney, Jay Stuemke, told Fox News Digital that the experienced snorkeller’s final moments bore no resemblance to a traditional drowning.
“He told his friends, ‘I’m having trouble breathing,’ and his friends tried to take him away,” Stuemke said Wednesday. “His friends helped him to shore, but he died on the beach.” [in Maui.]”
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Patti Johnson is pictured with her late husband Ray Johnson, who passed away at the age of 64 off the coast of Maui on February 25, 2022. (Courtesy of Patti Johnson)
Stuemke said Johnson likely died from rapid-onset pulmonary edema (ROPE), also known as “internal drowning,” rather than water inhalation. When rapid-onset pulmonary edema occurs, a swimmer’s lungs fill with fluid, reducing the organ’s ability to supply oxygen, leading to hypoxia.
Patients panic, become weak, and often lose consciousness. According to an editorial in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser by pulmonologist Dr. Philip R. Foti, the sudden onset of the condition can be so severe that snorkelers are unable to seek help and only It can lead to death within minutes.
“When we got the autopsy report… it just said drowning, which didn’t make sense,” Ray’s wife, Patti Johnson, told ABC 7. Don’t think she’s going in on her own. I don’t think she’s talking to the people she’s with. ”
A study by the state Department of Health’s Snorkel Safety Subcommittee found that many risk factors may contribute to ROPE deaths, including the physiological effects of recent air travel. That’s what it means.
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A man snorkels in the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean at Carl Smith Beach Park in Hilo, Hawaii, on January 15, 2024. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“Hypoxia caused by rapid-onset pulmonary edema (ROPE) is responsible for some, and perhaps most, snorkel-related fatal and near-fatal drownings,” study authors wrote in an interim report. and is cited in Johnson’s lawsuit.
Stuemke said waiting three days after getting off the plane before putting on a snorkel can significantly reduce the risk of “preventable death.”
According to the study, given that tourists typically take at least a five-hour flight to get to Hawaii, and planes are exposed to pressure equivalent to an altitude of 8,500 feet, “the permeability of the lung membranes is “There is a possibility that it may have such an impact.” Development of ROPE. ”
“Ray should have been told that he was particularly at risk for this for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he had just flown in,” Stuemke said. “They were going to be there for two weeks. His wife told me that if she knew about this safety study and what it was about, she would just hang out by the pool and drink Mai Tais for a few days. Ta.”
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Patti and Ray Johnson are pictured in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Patti Johnson)
“Most people don’t just come snorkeling on the weekend; they stay for a period of time and have a lot of things they want to do,” Steumke said. “If you tell me to wait, I will wait.”
But Johnson’s complaint alleges that the Hawaii Tourism Authority and other organizations warned tourists “despite knowledge of the risks and ready-to-use warnings from this industry-funded study.” I’ve done very little.
” [tourism authority hasn’t] I shared those warnings. They are not featured prominently on any website, in brochures, videos, etc.,” Stuemke said.
Between 2012 and 2021, 184 tourists died in snorkeling accidents, but only 20 local residents.
Patti Johnson started giving these cards to everyone she met who was going on a snorkeling trip, said her attorney Jay Stuemke. (Courtesy of Patti Johnson)
“It is impossible to determine from an autopsy whether he died from traditional drowning or from sudden onset of pulmonary edema,” Stuemke said. “Either way, your lungs are filled with water and you’re not getting enough oxygen.”
According to a 2017 study, two factors make ROPE deaths more common among snorkelers than among those who participate in other water activities. This is due to the prone position in the water and the resistance to inhalation created by the thin snorkel tube.
Dr. Foti writes in his findings:[g]Generally, the simpler the snorkel, the less resistance it will create. ”
However, “other sometimes invisible factors, such as the size of the narrowest opening and the design of the valve, made visual determination of resistance unreliable.”
The Hawaii House of Representatives has attempted to pass a bill that would require first responders to record data on the type of snorkel used by tourists who drown during their activities. However, the bill was never passed, according to the Hawaii State Legislature’s website.
The type of mask and snorkel used was recorded in only 16% of snorkeling-related deaths, Foti wrote.
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Full-face masks were used in five of these cases and traditional two-piece masks were used in 11, but a 2017 study found that full-face masks cannot be removed in case of an emergency. , noted that the user cannot “spit out” the mask. Go snorkeling to improve your breathing.
Stuemke said Patty started printing little cards with details about ROPE. In doing so, she has “tried to educate about this in a very practical way, more than anything the state of Hawaii or the tourism industry has ever done.”
“When she hears someone is going on a snorkeling trip, she gives this card to someone and says, ‘Please, don’t let what happened to Ray happen to you. Please wait a while and follow these other tips. ”’ Stuemke said. .
The Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii Tourism and Convention Bureau, Fairmont Kea Lani Maui and Accor Management did not respond to requests for comment on the pending litigation.
Snorkel enthusiasts can learn more about ROPE at www.snorkelsafetystudy.org.
