Girl watches dad dive to death
By Sam Cooley, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 12:20 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, July 09, 2015 06:49 AM EDT
An eight-year-old daughter’s last sight of her father alive was of him jumping 23 metres off the side of a cliff into a deep pool of water.
After he jumped, David Rothwell, 35, came back up momentarily to the surface, police said. But then he sank back in to the depths of Morrison’s Quarry, a popular bungee jumping and scuba diving spot outside Wakefield, Que.
His daughter and some of his friends were hanging out on a structure located nearby. They, along with staff of Morrison’s Quarry, observed the Ottawa man jump. An off-duty Montreal police officer equipped with only a snorkelling mask attempted to rescue Rothwell. But the water was too deep.
Rothwell’s body was recovered Wednesday morning by an experienced local diver.
At around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, police say Rothwell, against repeated warnings by the owners of Morrison’s Quarry, sneaked away and scaled up the cliffs along with a friend.
There are signs that drinking was involved, according to MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais spokesman Martin Fournel.
Rothwell was the only one to jump off the cliff, at a height of about 23 metres, where the water beneath was approximately 12 metres deep, according to Fournel.
Though the investigation is ongoing, initial observation of his body suggests he didn’t collide with anything in the quarry.
But until an autopsy is completed, “you don’t know — could be a heart attack, could be anything,” said Fournel.
Fournel, who has lived near the quarry for 19 years, said the diving accident is not the first to occur in the area.
“(Diving) must be the thing these days,” he said, motioning to the body of water behind him.
He said police regularly ticket people $200 for diving off nearby infrastructure.
The scene at Morrison's Quarry on Wednesday. July 9, the day after Ottawa's David Rothwell died when he dove off the cliff. (Sam Cooley/Ottawa Sun)
Girl watches dad dive to death | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
By Sam Cooley, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 12:20 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, July 09, 2015 06:49 AM EDT
An eight-year-old daughter’s last sight of her father alive was of him jumping 23 metres off the side of a cliff into a deep pool of water.
After he jumped, David Rothwell, 35, came back up momentarily to the surface, police said. But then he sank back in to the depths of Morrison’s Quarry, a popular bungee jumping and scuba diving spot outside Wakefield, Que.
His daughter and some of his friends were hanging out on a structure located nearby. They, along with staff of Morrison’s Quarry, observed the Ottawa man jump. An off-duty Montreal police officer equipped with only a snorkelling mask attempted to rescue Rothwell. But the water was too deep.
Rothwell’s body was recovered Wednesday morning by an experienced local diver.
At around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, police say Rothwell, against repeated warnings by the owners of Morrison’s Quarry, sneaked away and scaled up the cliffs along with a friend.
There are signs that drinking was involved, according to MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais spokesman Martin Fournel.
Rothwell was the only one to jump off the cliff, at a height of about 23 metres, where the water beneath was approximately 12 metres deep, according to Fournel.
Though the investigation is ongoing, initial observation of his body suggests he didn’t collide with anything in the quarry.
But until an autopsy is completed, “you don’t know — could be a heart attack, could be anything,” said Fournel.
Fournel, who has lived near the quarry for 19 years, said the diving accident is not the first to occur in the area.
“(Diving) must be the thing these days,” he said, motioning to the body of water behind him.
He said police regularly ticket people $200 for diving off nearby infrastructure.
The scene at Morrison's Quarry on Wednesday. July 9, the day after Ottawa's David Rothwell died when he dove off the cliff. (Sam Cooley/Ottawa Sun)
Girl watches dad dive to death | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
