By Jon Chown
Rob Allen, of Aptos, was warming up with the Pu Pu O Hawai’i Outrigger Club before the group’s weekly practice Sunday morning, Oct. 26, when tragedy occurred. A white minivan plunged off the Santa Cruz Wharf and quickly sank, taking the driver’s life.
At about 9:44 a.m., according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department, a report of a vehicle driving off the wharf came in. Santa Cruz Fire, Central Fire, Scotts Valley Fire, the Santa Cruz Police Department and State Parks personnel all responded to the scene, recovered the driver, William Westerman, a 65-year-old resident of Scotts Valley, but he never regained consciousness and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. More than a dozen divers searched in the murky water for more than hour looking for any other victims but found none.
Allen and his canoe crew, led by Emerson Sanderson, were able to save the victim’s dog. Allen said he tried to rescue the driver but could not. He and his crew were in one canoe with another club canoe just behind. They were warming up in the harbor, stretching and getting ready for practice, when he heard a huge crashing noise. About 150 yards away, a white van was on top of the water. Allen said it had landed on its roof, and the windshield appeared to have been “blown out” by the impact.
“The vehicle was perched on top of the water for maybe eight seconds or less. It was amazing how quickly it sank,” he said. “As soon as it hit we all started paddling over to it.”
There was debris from the wharf floating in the surf. People were screaming. It was a chaotic scene. Allen said Sanderson, the steersman, took charge and instructed the crews how to respond. He spotted a dog swimming under the wharf — a white boxer, probably weighing between 35 and 40 pounds. It managed to get onto a platform, but upset sea lions forced it back into the water. Allen jumped off his boat, swam over and lifted the dog up to Sanderson, who put it in the canoe.
“People up top (on the wharf) were shouting that there were people still in the van,” Allen said. He attempted a rescue, but the van was too far down and the water too treacherous.
“I’d get down 15 feet and almost be out of breath, and it was just black; I couldn’t see anything. I was probably only a third of the way to the bottom. I kept trying for a while, but realized ‘What am I doing?’”
By that time, Allen said, emergency responders had arrived. Rescuers were diving in with wetsuits on. He took the dog ashore and handed it off to law enforcement. “He was a very good boy. He was so obedient; he didn’t run off. He let me put a leash on him and put him into the police vehicle. I felt bad for the little doggo,” Allen said.
Later, Allen and the crew received a text from the dog’s owner, apparently the victim’s partner, thanking them for the save. According to Allen, the heroes of the day were the first responders.
“I realized just how scary a job the first responders have in a marine environment,” he said. “What they’ve got to do … swim all the way down to the bottom, into the gloom and recover a person. I can’t image how hard that job would be.”
What Allen attempted, though valiant, is not recommended, said Catherine Lee of the Santa Cruz Police Department.
“If you’re not trained correctly, it is extremely dangerous,” she said.
Lee said rescue divers have extensive training for the job. In this instance, the current was very strong and the water was really dark, making the rescue effort more difficult. The van was about 30 feet down. It was upside down and the driver was inside unconscious with the windows intact. The first divers attached a line to it so the next divers would know right where to go. Groups of divers would alternate so they could recuperate a bit before diving back down.
Lee said there is video of the incident that might help the police determine what occurred and why.
“It’s an ongoing investigation,” she said.
TOP PHOTO: Safety tape is spread where a minivan plunged off the wharf on Oct. 26. • Photo Credit: Santa Cruz Fire Department