{"id":825,"date":"2016-07-26T15:07:30","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T20:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/no-closure-for-family-of-diver-killed-at-nova-scotia-tidal-plant-a-year-ago"},"modified":"2016-07-26T15:07:30","modified_gmt":"2016-07-26T20:07:30","slug":"no-closure-for-family-of-diver-killed-at-nova-scotia-tidal-plant-a-year-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/no-closure-for-family-of-diver-killed-at-nova-scotia-tidal-plant-a-year-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"No closure for family of diver killed at Nova Scotia tidal plant a year ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content\" class=\"wrap12 story-head\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"story-title\"><span class=\"spaced\">By\u00a0Elizabeth Chiu, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364\">CBC News<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"delimited\">Posted: Jul 15, 2016 6:00 AM AT<\/span>Last Updated: Jul 15, 2016 7:22 AM AT<\/div>\n<div class=\"story-title\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"story-title\">Luke Seabrook&#8217;s family on mission to prevent divers from dying on the job<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wrap8 story-primary\">\n<div id=\"leadmedia\" class=\"story-leadmedia col8\">\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678270.1468518328%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/16x9_620\/luke-seabrook.jpg\" alt=\"Luke Seabrook had five years of experience as a commercial diver when he was killed at the Nova Scotia Power tidal power plant in Annapolis Royal last July.\" width=\"100%\" height=\"349\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Luke Seabrook had five years of experience as a commercial diver when he was killed at the Nova Scotia Power tidal power plant in Annapolis Royal last July. (CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story-relatedlinks module sclt-relatedlinks\">\n<div class=\"story-relatedlinks-body module-body\">\n<div class=\"story-relatedlinks-submodule story-internallinks module\">\n<h3 class=\"story-internallinks-head story-internallinks-heading module-head module-heading\">Related Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"story-internallinks-body module-body\">\n<ul class=\"story-internallinks-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/nova-scotia-diving-regulations-at-the-bottom-in-canada-says-instructor-1.3179485\"> Diving death &#8216;should never have happened,&#8217; says veteran instructor <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/dives-involving-water-flow-among-most-hazardous-says-expert-1.3174535\"> Diving expert speaks out after N.S. diver killed on a job <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/diver-luke-seabrook-died-after-nova-scotia-power-dam-gate-left-open-brother-says-1.3172533\"> Family of diver who died at Nova Scotia Power dam questions &#8216;insane&#8217; gate safety <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story-body\">\n<div class=\"story-content\">\n<p>The family of a Dartmouth man killed on the job at Nova Scotia Power&#8217;s Annapolis Tidal Power Plant\u00a0a year ago is\u00a0still seeking answers about how and why\u00a0his death happened.<\/p>\n<p>Commercial diver Luke Seabrook, 39, died last July 15 while inspecting the dam&#8217;s underwater gates. The generating station is located where the powerful Bay\u00a0of Fundy tides\u00a0meet the Annapolis River in Annapolis Royal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He didn&#8217;t have a hope in hell, nobody would,&#8221; said Angela Seabrook, Luke&#8217;s mother, as she stared at the rushing water pouring out of the dam.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/dives-involving-water-flow-among-most-hazardous-says-expert-1.3174535\">Dives\u00a0involving water flow among most hazardous<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Wasaga Beach, Ont.,\u00a0woman travelled to Nova Scotia to see the plant for herself on the eve of the anniversary.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;I need to know&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;I have to find out what happened and why it happened before I can forgive,&#8221; she said. &#8220;There might not be anybody to blame for this. It could just be an accident, but I need to know.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure col4width floatright\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678177.1468518370%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_300\/angela-seabrook.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Seabrook\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Angela Seabrook says both employers and divers need to take diving safety seriously. (CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Luke Seabrook was carrying out the annual inspection of the gate as part of Paul&#8217;s Diving Service Inc. It was\u00a0a job he&#8217;d done before.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/diver-luke-seabrook-died-after-nova-scotia-power-dam-gate-left-open-brother-says-1.3172533\">His family has\u00a0received details from Jarvis DesRoche<\/a>, the backup diver, who along with the diver supervisor, were providing\u00a0support from\u00a0the\u00a0shore.<\/p>\n<p>Within a minute or two of going underwater, Seabrook\u00a0signalled to come up. His support team couldn&#8217;t pull him up but the line wouldn&#8217;t budge, so they tied off his line in hopes\u00a0he wouldn&#8217;t be dragged farther away.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If Jarvis had\u00a0gone down, there would be two of them dead,&#8221; Angela Seabrook\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<p>DesRoche had to wait about an hour for the tides on both sides of the dam gate to equalize before he could retrieve his friend&#8217;s body.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/nova-scotia-diving-regulations-at-the-bottom-in-canada-says-instructor-1.3179485\">Nova Scotia diving regulations &#8216;at the bottom&#8217; in Canada, says instructor<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Seabrook says her son\u00a0was found stuck\u00a0in\u00a0the gate, which wasn&#8217;t fully closed,\u00a0as it should have been. His helmet was wedged in\u00a0the gap.<\/p>\n<p>The opening allowed the force of the world&#8217;s\u00a0highest tides to surge through. The differential pressure on either side of the gate creates\u00a0a powerful suction. That pressure can be in the tonnes.<\/p>\n<p>In the diving world, that hazard is\u00a0called\u00a0Delta P, and it&#8217;s one of the leading causes of death for occupational divers.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;I hope he didn&#8217;t suffer&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Luke Seabrook was found with broken ribs and contusions to his head. His suit was ripped, his mouthpiece was loose.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know whether he died because his lungs were crushed or he drowned,&#8221; Angela Seabrook said. She&#8217;s still waiting for the autopsy report&#8217;s official\u00a0cause of death. &#8220;All I know is I hope he didn&#8217;t suffer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678200.1468518407%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/luke-seabrook.jpg\" alt=\"Luke Seabrook\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Luke Seabrook&#8217;s wife says this wasn&#8217;t his first diving job at the tidal power station. (The Seabrook family)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>For the last year, the provincial department of Labour has been investigating the workplace fatality. It typically takes two years before findings are released and charges, if warranted, are laid.<\/p>\n<p>Seabrook&#8217;s fear is that\u00a0another diver could die on the job in the meantime.<\/p>\n<h2>Department\u00a0denies CBC request<\/h2>\n<p>CBC News has asked\u00a0to see the department&#8217;s stop-work and compliance orders slapped on Nova Scotia Power and Paul&#8217;s Diving Service Inc. Those requests have been denied, and that decision is waiting to be reviewed.<\/p>\n<p>Rejecting a request for labour department\u00a0orders is unusual. In\u00a0previous\u00a0cases, the department has provided the information to CBC News.<\/p>\n<p>Nova Scotia Power has declined\u00a0an interview. And the dive support team members have not responded to an interview request.<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678210.1468518434%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.JPG_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/angela-seabrook-at-annapolis-royal-tidal-power-plant.JPG\" alt=\"Angela Seabrook at Annapolis Royal tidal power plant\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Angela Seabrook rode 1,900 kilometres on her motorcycle to see the plant for herself in her quest for answers. (Elizabeth Chiu\/CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>&#8216;Things haven&#8217;t changed&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Seabrook has enlisted the help of diving expert Stephen Donovan in her quest for answers. In the &#8217;90s, Donovan was a member of the working group that drafted Nova Scotia&#8217;s diving regulations. He says <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/nova-scotia-diving-regulations-at-the-bottom-in-canada-says-instructor-1.3179485\">he walked away from the group because it was split<\/a> with infighting among different diving\u00a0groups that had competing interests. The end result, he says, was watered-down regulations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Things haven&#8217;t changed from when I was diving in the Bay of Fundy in the middle of the &#8217;70s,&#8221; said Donovan. &#8220;Yes, we have better equipment but we still are losing people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678232.1468518465%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/stephen-donovan.jpg\" alt=\"Stephen Donovan\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Stephen Donovan says he&#8217;s frustrated occupational divers are still being killed by Delta P, a well-known diving hazard. (CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Donovan finds it deeply troubling that Luke\u00a0Seabrook\u00a0was likely killed because of a danger that is nothing new \u2013\u00a0differential pressure at a dam.<\/p>\n<p>He says he believes Seabrook&#8217;s death was\u00a0preventable. It&#8217;s high time, he says, for the diving community to make safety a priority.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Very frustrating that changes haven&#8217;t been made that I think should&#8217;ve been made.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;We feel forgotten&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>The wait for information has been agonizing for Seabrook&#8217;s widow, Sheryl. They were newlyweds\u00a0when Luke was killed.<\/p>\n<p>His last text was\u00a0haunting and sweet.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Going to work with the changing tides. I love you, I&#8217;ll talk to you soon,&#8221; she\u00a0recalled.<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678170.1468518496%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/luke-and-sheryl-seabrook-s-wedding-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Luke and Sheryl Seabrook's wedding photo\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Luke and Sheryl Seabrook were married three months when he was killed on the job. (CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 36-year-old has tried to go back to work, but she&#8217;s been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>Diving was a passion she shared with her husband, but now\u00a0she can&#8217;t go back in the water.<\/p>\n<p>On\u00a0this first anniversary of Seabrook&#8217;s death, she\u00a0plans to go to the plant for the first time where she&#8217;ll spend time in quiet meditation.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;ll find a wreath attached to a chain link fence surrounding the dam. It&#8217;s the only hint of the\u00a0tragedy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"figure\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.3678197.1468518590%21\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.JPG_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/wreath-at-nsp-tidal-power-plant.JPG\" alt=\"Wreath at NSP tidal power plant\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"figure-caption\">Angela Seabrook says a worker told her this wreath is in memory of Luke. (Elizabeth Chiu\/CBC)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But there will be no closure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s something that can only come after the full investigation is disclosed to us, if and when,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We feel forgotten.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Elizabeth Chiu, CBC News Posted: Jul 15, 2016 6:00 AM ATLast Updated: Jul 15, 2016 7:22 AM AT Luke Seabrook&#8217;s family on mission to prevent divers from dying on the job Luke Seabrook had five years of experience as a commercial diver when he was killed at the Nova Scotia Power tidal power plant in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":828,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions\/828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadc.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}