Tom Lusk was enjoying a drink with friends and family Saturday, September 5, around 1:30 p.m. at the crow’s nest atop Tony’s on the Pier when he saw a man jump off the pier.
“He looked like he was dragging a kite,” Lusk said.
When Lusk saw the man turn face down in the water, he ran down Tony’s stairs to the beach and into the water.
Lusk and another rescuer turned the man onto his back and pulled him to shore. Lusk said that the victim was unconscious when they reached him.
“The tide was coming up and thrashing us against the rocks,” he said. With help from several people on the beach, the victim was lifted on to a rock, where Lusk began administering CPR.
“We continued to pump, but it didn’t look good when we gave it over to the fire department and lifeguards,” Lusk said.
“A five dollar kite may have cost him his life,” Lusk said.
The victim, later identified as George Beckham, 48, was transported to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Los Angeles County Lifeguard Captain John Greger. He said it was unknown whether Beckham had drowned or died from other medical reasons, such as a heart attack
“It’s a heavy experience, let me tell you,” Lusk said. “There’s got to be some kind of safety precautions there.”
Redondo Beach Fire Chief and Harbor Master Robert Metzger said he doesn’t believe safety devices, such as life preserves, would have helped.
“Places that have these kinds of devices, like piers, have experienced problems maintaining them and they are a problem when you’re trying to get a device like that to someone who’s many feet below the surface,” Metzger said. He added that the public at large doesn’t have training on the proper use equipment such as life rings and that they “afford an unrealistic expectation of safety to the public.”
“I haven’t jumped from a height like that,” Metzger said, “but I imagine it’s shocking to the body to hit the water from that height. If you’re not a swimmer, it might be all you can do to fight your way back to the surface, let alone grab some kind of flotation device.”
Metzger said people should not attempt a water rescue unless they have advanced water-rescue skills. Instead, people should call 911.
“Time is of the essence in these situations and the sooner that skilled rescuers can get on the scene, the better the chance a victim in the water may have,” Metzger said. ER
