Examining the Causes of Drownings in Hawaii

A high rate of drownings is not good PR for an island paradise, so the Hawaii State Department of Health is interested in examining the causes of drownings in our state with an eye toward reducing them. The Hawaii Injury Prevention Plan Report for 2012 to 2017 looked closely at drowning statistics for recent years and discovered the following facts:

About half of drowning victims were Hawaii residents, while about 36 percent came from the U.S. mainland, and roughly 12 percent were visiting from foreign countries.
The ages of drowning victims were widely distributed, but only 8% were under 18 years of age.
Male victims predominated at 83 percent.
Most of the victims (78 percent) drowned in the ocean or other saltwater environments.
Unintentional immersions led to 13 percent of ocean drownings. These included 31 victims who fell in or were swept into the ocean.

Most drowning victims were engaged in ocean activities, including:

Swimming (29 percent)
Snorkeling (22 percent)
Free diving (nine percent)

Autopsy records often revealed intrinsic or personal factors that contributed to more than half of the saltwater drownings (61 percent) in Honolulu County from 2007 to 2010. The most common intrinsic factor was circulatory diseases, present in 46 percent of victims of all ages, and 69 percent of victims 50 years and older. Only 13 percent of drowning victims tested positive for alcohol, but only seven percent had blood alcohol content levels of 0.08 percent or greater. Illegal drug use was evident in 12 percent of the victims.

Taken together, these statistics form an image of the typical visitor to Hawaii who is vulnerable to drowning. Picture a male, age 45 or older, somewhat overweight, who comes for a vacation and decides to cut loose and act as if he’s once again in his 20s. If said visitor has an undiagnosed heart ailment or the beginnings of cardiovascular disease, the combination of eating, drinking and then sudden exertion in the ocean could be tragic.

Having represented the families of drowning victims, our firm believes that educating tour guides and activity directors about drowning risks can help keep visitors safe. Of course, insisting that a visitor refrain from exertion is easier said than done, but a word of caution could save a life.

Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks, Attorneys at Law represents next of kin in wrongful death drowning cases. Call us at 808.524.1433 to schedule a free consultation or contact our Honolulu office online.