Preventable
Published June 11, 2010 | 
As I write this 16 year old Abby Sunderland is floating somewhere in the Indian ocean on a sailboat without a mast. Apparently she’s fine out there and will need to hold out another 24 hours or so for rescue. Here in Wisconsin, 9 year old Sofia Khan of Chicago was not so lucky. The search for her on Lake Michigan was suspended and reclassified as a recovery yesterday. Abby was in the middle of the ocean, alone, and taking on terrible risks. Sofia was with her family enjoying a day at the beach.
As we head to the shores of Lake Michigan today with our 9 year old, it’s hard not to think about the tragic story of Sofia Khan. My thoughts go out to her family who must be devastated. From reports she was simply playing around in a kayak near shore while her family hung out on the beach. Reports say a current (more likely an offshore wind) carried her quite a way from shore before her family noticed her drifting. She was not wearing a life jacket and was dressed in swimsuit. Water temperatures had to be in the mid to upper 50s. Sofia’s father tried to swim for her but couldn’t catch up. In the end a nearby resident saw what was happening and took his canoe out to find her. He reached the kayak, but she was gone. No one saw how or when she came out of the boat. In the process of looking for her, the canoeist then fell out of his boat and had be rescued by the coast guard.
Every time we hear these tragic stories it’s hard not to jump up and yell from the roof tops about how easily this could have been prevented. We can talk about supervision, offshore winds, water temps and the rest. I’m not sure that helps. On the other hand we’d be remiss not to take the opportunity to once again remind anyone who will listen of the single most obvious precaution they can take…
Wear a life jacket. Put them on your kids as well. (Especially when you put them in a boat.)
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5 Responses to Preventable
As you say…preventable and therefore doubly tragic. So sad…
How sad.
It’s so scary how fast things can happen. We aren’t around water much but, if we ever are, my kids will have one on for sure! I feel bad for the family. Not only have they lost a child, but they will have the guilt of not having her wear a life vest for the rest of their lives. 
Michelle
Very sad.
Here’s the surface temp map for yesterday: http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/michigan/7day/m3/Jun10/2010_Jun10_1049EDT.gif Here’s the location: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&q=Smies+Road+in+Holland,+Wi&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Smies+Rd,+Holland,+Sheboygan,+Wisconsin&ll=43.581137,-87.757673&spn=0.031523,0.077162&t=h&z=14
More serendipity (apologies to Dr Jung): We’ve posted on the same subject at the same time. I wanted to rant but felt only sadness. Dick
SOFIA was and is our Grand-daughter! God was good to us by loaning her to us for
just over nine years! When the accident first happened, it was reported that she
was kayaking on Lake Michigan, without a life preserver. Not exactly true, she was
setting next to shore in a kayak in water that is knee deep up to 200 feet from
shore. By adding ing to kayak, it changed most people’s thoughts as to the true facts.
When a strong west wind hits the natural windbreak of houses and trees on the west
bank, the wind is defected upward and then comes down somewhere over the lake, the
wind may never be felt on the shore. (locals know of this from experence, outsiders
are not, especially city people not accustomed to the country.) exactly one week after
Sofia, a three year old, sitting on a floatable toy had the same thing happen to him.
A 911 call and the Coast Guard was able to catch him. (Up the beach North about 6 miles)
If you see any one on a float of any kind and are aware of a strong west wind, please
give them a warning. Living on the beach, even locals may never know when a strong wind
is coming out of the west. We want to thank personally so many from eastern Wisconsin
that gave so much support for our family. All the government agencys, the private
citizens that searched and are still searching and so many that opened their hearts
in our time of need! True American Spirit. gene and sharon howe, milo iowa