death on cass lake It
death on cass lake It was a warm and sunny day, and hundreds of boats raced through the tumultuous waters of Cass Lake. But for the family of 22-year-old Ryan Binno of West Bloomfield, July 8 would become a tragic day of irrevocable loss. While on a boat in the middle of the lake, Binno and some friends and relatives decided to go for a swim to cool off. After nearly five minutes, those who had remained on the vessel shouted to the swimmers to come back. “They had drifted away from the boat and I became alarmed,” said Sheila Seman of West Bloomfield, one of the occupants of the boat. “I started throwing lifejackets out to them so they could use them while swimming back.” As the swimmers climbed back on the boat, Seman had seen Ryan go underwater a moment before. “I screamed to the others that Ryan had gone down,” she said. “They were all so fatigued that at first they thought I was joking. Then they realized I was serious, and didn’t know what to do. I immediately reached for my phone and called 911.” Shortly thereafter, the water patrol arrived and began searching for Ryan, to no avail. “It was a breezy day and the current was strong,” noted Sergeant Dan Toth of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Dive Team. “What people don’t realize is that the water looks inviting, but it’s actually cold. This is when fatigue can set in, and causes the swimmer to not function fully physically.” Rumors that the other occupants pushed Binno into the water while drunk, or that a scuffle broke out on the boat in which he was thrown into the water wearing jeans and Drowning stuns community BY OMAR BINNO “What people don’t realize is that the water looks inviting, but it’s actually cold. This is when fatigue can set in, and causes the swimmer to not function fully physically.” – SERGEANT DAN TOTH, OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MARINE UNIT AND DIVE TEAM a t-shirt, with his wallet and cell phone in his back pocket, are unfounded. Other false speculation had several of Ryan's organs dismembered by snapping turtles. "It was purely accidental," said Toth. "I'm not surprised that stuff like this is being said though. Close relatives in cases like this need to feel closure, so they start blaming people and other possible causes." “I remember talking to Ryan at about six that evening,” said Raad Binno, Ryan’s father. “He said he’d be home in a couple hours.” Nearly two hours later, Raad received the news that his son was missing, and rushed to the lake with family and relatives. “When we got there and I saw the search that was going on, I knew my son was gone,” Raad said. For two more days, authorities continued searching Cass Lake for Binno’s body; it was retrieved on Tuesday at about 4 p.m. Authorities report that the drowning occurred between 6:30-7 p.m. on July 8. “Ryan’s death brought back painful memories of my family’s tragedy,” said Seman, whose brother was killed in a car shooting six years ago. “I genuinely grieve for the Binnos’ loss, and offer my prayers for them.” Binno’s was the fourth drowning death in Metro Detroit in less than a week. “June through August is the highest period for drownings here in Michigan, with July being the highest month of the year,” said Toth. “Boating classes have helped cut the number of deaths in half. I think that by issuing tickets and gaining education through the court system, we can reduce these accidents even more.” BE SAFE ON THE WATER • Learn to swim. Always swim with a buddy; never swim alone. • Swim in areas supervised by a lifeguard. • Children or inexperienced swimmers should take precautions, such as wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device (PFD) when around the water. • Watch out for the dangerous “too’s” – too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much strenuous activity. • Set water safety rules for the whole family based on swimming abilities (for example, inexperienced swimmers should stay in water less than chest deep). • Be knowledgeable of the water environment you are in and its potential hazards, such as deep and shallow areas, currents, depth changes, obstructions and where the entry and exit points are located. • Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather. • Use a feet-first entry when entering the water. • Enter head first only when the area is clearly marked for diving and has no obstructions. • Do not mix alcohol with swimming, diving or boating. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination, affects your swimming and diving skills, and reduces your body’s ability to stay warm. • Alcohol and boating don’t mix. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination — more than 50 percent of drownings result from boating incidents involving alcohol. For the same reasons it is dangerous to operate an automobile while under the influence of alcohol, people should not operate a boat while drinking alcohol. • Develop a float plan. Anytime you go out in a boat, give a responsible person details about where you will be and how long you will be gone. This is important because if the boat is delayed because of an emergency, becomes lost or encounters other problems, you want help to be able to reach you. SOURCE: WWW.REDCROSS.ORG 34 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2007
AUGUST 2007 CHALDEAN NEWS 35
