Police and firemen in Alameda, California watched a man drown on Monday after realizing they did not have proper certifications for water rescue, leaving them open to possible lawsuits if they attempted to save him.
The drowning victim, 53-year-old Raymond Zack, was apparently suicidal, according to a report from the scene. He waded out about 150 yards into cold waters off Crown Beach in Alameda and took about an hour to drown himself.
A crowd of about 75 gathered to watch the bizarre scene, which saw police and firemen just standing at shoreline watching helplessly. After the man had drowned, authorities couldn’t even go into the surf to retrieve the body. They instead recruited a passer-by for the job.
City officials reportedly blamed the incident on budget cuts and said they would have a discussion about why Alameda, an island city, does not have proper authorization to rescue people from the waters surrounding it.
This video is from ABC 7 in San Francisco, Calif., broadcast May 30, 2011.
It shouldn't take proper certification to pull someone out of the water, lame-o. Only someone with no contact with reality will see this as the fault of limited government, Destro.
Its not the government's job to save people, comrade. The role of government in this country is to provide for defense, establish trade and maintain infrastructure. Go back to Havana, Raoul.
Its not the government's job to save people, comrade.
Then what is your problem, retard? That is exactly what I said. The man died in accordance to small govt ideology. In the ideal world of the right wing kook the govt is not saving people.
Stop arguing both sides of the street, puke. You are a sickening excuse for a human being, Destro. Why don't you disappear along with your friends you have to call in to help you not lose so huge.
