A Viscous Cycle That Needs to Be Broken.
Since there are many outside factors that affect our sport, focus should consider a viscous cycle that needs to be broken. It begins with the manner in which accidents are reported. An accident individual is asked what happened? He/she says I dove off a pier into a lake and hit the bottom. The hospital then classifies it as a "Diving Accident". Lumping all diving accidents into one category is not accurate reporting. Up to 80% of these incidents involved the use of alcohol. "Spinal Column Injury" and "Spinal Cord Injury" add to the misrepresentation when used. One has a catastrophic connotation and the other doesn't but they have been used interchangeably. Diving into shallow water is different than from a diving board into deep water. An incident from the use of a diving board in a residential, private or apartment complex pool is not a "Sports Injury". Many reporting agencies can't or don't make this type of distinction.
Insurance companies base their coverage on the number of claims for these types of injuries. Again there is confusion as to the type of injury and pool where the incident occurred. These companies were responsible for asking motels and hotels to remove their diving boards in the 1970's. Why then are the premiums still high if diving boards were removed from these pools? Shallow water incidents are still clouding the issues.
The blame is pushed to the legal system for allowing what many consider frivolous lawsuits. Lawyers tell clients not to say anything about the incident until the case is resolved. Most of these cases are in court for years. Talk about placing caps on awards and immunity to certain suits has not appreciably changed a thing. The legal system can not protect people from their own injudicious behavior. Example: a case where a person committed suicide while in jail is proof of this. If an individual is intent on committing suicide, they will find the opportunity to do so. However the family of this person will receive compensation by a settlement because it is cheaper than going to court. Fear of a lawsuit appears to be the reason for a lot of consternation.
The system is seriously flawed and is responsible for overpriced goods and services. It has people second-guessing themselves. Well-intentioned and exemplary individuals shy away from volunteering to avoid the risk of lawsuits. Our current process will delete the word volunteer from every dictionary unless change occurs. Volunteer describes many of us who are with Diving.
Obviously the above when taken together appears to be an overwhelming task and it surely is. It would best serve our purposes to get involved in the basic reporting system. The inconsistencies of the data and inferences made on that data have created the misinformation/confusion that we face. Basic changes may be as simple as creating a universal incident form containing the appropriate information, that can be used by the first responders (individuals, EMT's, fire depts., police, hospitals etc.) This form must be simple to use and contain the information that would help reduce reporting inaccuracies. Until our community becomes more involved in this process, a dark cloud will always hover over the Sport.