Brother sees Echuca water ski race death

Death and a spate of serious injuries have marred a water skiing event on the Murray
River in northern Victoria, with one skier dead and seven other people injured.
The brother of Tim Driver, 43, watched as his sibling collided with another racer on
the river during the tandem race event at Echuca at about 4pm (AEDT) on Saturday.
A nurse performed CPR on Mr Driver but he could not be revived. The other man
dislocated his shoulder and broke his collar bone.
Ambulance Victoria paramedic Brett Parker said a crew worked desperately to save Mr
Driver for 45 minutes, but he was declared dead at the scene.
"It was only a few minutes into the race when the accident happened," Mr Parker told
AAP.
On Sunday, seven people were injured after spectators and competitors at the 2010
Club Marine Southern 80 event marked Mr Driver's death with a minute's silence.
A boat veered onto the bank at Williams Bend, causing debris to hit a female
spectator. The woman sustained minor injuries, while the male boat driver was taken
to The Alfred with spinal and back injuries, Rural Ambulance spokesman John Mullen
told AAP.
In a separate incident near Torrumbarry Weir, a skier aged around 25 hurt his back
and was taken to Echuca Hospital with suspected spinal injuries.
A skier at Turner Bend sustained head, spinal and back injuries and was taken to
Echuca Hospital, while at the junction where the Murray meets the Campaspe River, a
male skier fractured his leg.
Another skier broke his leg, while yet another sustained neck injuries and a
suspected fractured ankle - but further details were not available.
Alan McDonald, president of the Moama Water Sports Club, which runs the annual
event, said Mr Driver had been racing for more than 20 years and knew the course
well.
It was the second fatal accident at the race event in four years.
"Everybody is very shook up," Mr McDonald told AAP on Sunday.
"He had a lot of friends out here and they are still competing today. It's a solemn
mood."
Mr McDonald said water skiing was an inherently dangerous sport, despite the
organisers carrying out a full risk assessment and having safety plans in place.
"It's not a safety issue, they're just, they're accidents. It's a ski racing event.
You know, we are going at fairly high speeds, and there will always be incidents,"
he said.
"Today, we've just had probably a couple more than normal, that's all."
Mr McDonald said racers were "not really well protected" and could reach speeds of
more than 200km/h.
"You wear a wetsuit and a helmet, but you can't weigh yourself down too much with a
lot of padding," Mr McDonald said.
"It was just one of those unfortunate things.
"We're deeply saddened by it."
Mr Driver is survived by a partner and several children.
His brother and some mates were in the crowd watching him compete on Saturday in the
President's Invitational race when the accident happened, Mr McDonald said.
The NSW police investigation continued on Sunday and a report would be prepared for
the coroner, a spokesman told AAP.
The precise cause of death has yet to be determined.
The Southern 80 event is held on the Murray between Torrumbarry to Echuca, where
there are more than 120 bends in the river.
The event attracts entries from all over Australia, as well as New Zealand, Great
Britain and the United States.