Minimising head injuries

Everyone is in agreement that the government needs to take serious measures to curb the increase in fatal traffic accidents (December 15).

I do not know about Malta but here, in Gozo, one often sees motorbike riders whizzing past, wearing crash helmets which have their fastening straps floating merrily in the wind. In an accident, the crash helmet would immediately fly off the rider’s head and be about as useful as a chocolate teapot in minimising the risk of a fatal head injury. 

In my opinion, the police/traffic wardens should stop, caution and advise these riders to fasten the helmet straps but book them on a repeat performance. A national campaign on this basic safety factor would also not go amiss.

Charles Gauci – Sannat

Diving fatality court decision

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Before I even start, I must take this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to Christine Gauci’s family.

I am a medical doctor, former British Army officer and scuba diver and attended numerous underwater medicine courses at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, in the UK.

I’m shocked, shattered and totally surprised about the recent court decision to find company director Arthur Castillo guilty of the involuntary homicide of his diving buddy – Gauci – at Mġarr ix-Xini in January 2020.

He was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for four years.

This is total madness and is going to have very serious implications on the scuba buddy diving system, and diving generally, in these islands.

There were so many factors involved in that fatal dive and, as far as I can judge, Castillo did everything that a diving buddy would do.

He asked Gauci to abort the dive since she was very tired and had not slept for some 24 hours. She refused, and said the cold seawater would refreshen her up. She was having constant buoyancy trouble with her oversized dry suit and, indeed, at one point, he actually gave her some of his weights to help her out with her buoyancy problems.

Further, at one point during the dive, he had to cut one of her fins out of a fishing net into which she had got entangled.

I would have thought that, by that point, Castillo was getting somewhat stressed.

Eventually, the fatal moment arrived when, suddenly, out of the blue, poor Gauci went flying to the surface and naturally vanished out of Castillo’s view.

What I cannot understand in the court’s judgment is the damning statement: “he did not establish eye contact.”

When diving, you keep as much eye contact as you can with your buddy, however, you cannot do that 24/7.

One has to look at the surroundings, make a mental note of important features, look out for predators, constantly keep a watch on your diving computer, etc.

I hope that the appeal succeeds.

Raymond Bencini – Żebbuġ