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Medical practitioners weigh-in on drowning
Nalini De Agrella
Although it is alleged that she committed suicide by plunging off the Demerara Harbour Bridge in the wee hours of Tuesday, there are still some uncertainties surrounding the demise of Nalini De Agrella.
According to reports, the 40-year-old woman who hailed from La Grange, West Bank Demerara, was the lone passenger in a vehicle her husband, Leroy De Agrella, was driving. They were reportedly heading home after a night out to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
It is alleged that the woman had beckoned her husband to stop the vehicle while on the Harbour Bridge, in order for her to urinate, but she instead plunged overboard when she exited.
The incident is said to have occurred around 01:30 hours on Tuesday. However, the woman’s body surfaced within a matter of hours, an occurrence of great interest to those familiar with drowning victims. It was around 08:00 hours the same day that the woman’s body was fished out of the Demerara River, in the vicinity of Meadow Bank on the East Bank.
In an invited comment yesterday, a reputable doctor explained his medical understanding of drowning and the subsequent surfacing of a body. It is his belief that once an individual is normal (that is, without injuries) and drowns, it is logical that the lungs would take in water preventing the absorption of oxygen. This would, as a result, cause asphyxiation due to suffocation thereby leading to cerebral hypoxia (limited oxygen reaching the brain) and even myocardial infarction (heart failure).
He added that it has also proven to be reasonably acceptable that after being overwhelmed by water the body would become submerged and relaxed, and is likely to sink to the bottom of the body of water. The body is however expected to rise due to gas formed in its tissues as decay occurs. It was explained that when enough gas has formed to inflate the tissues and distend the skin, the body becomes lighter than water and rises to the surface.
This process is due to the action of bacteria within the body. Consequently, the length of time that elapses before the body rises, depends not only upon the amount of fat contained in the tissues, but on the temperature of the water. If the water is warm, the formation of gas within the body occurs rapidly and the body may rise to the surface in a day or two. However, if the water is cold, bacterial action takes place very slowly and it may take as long as several weeks in some cases, before the body appears on the surface.
When a body is fully distended it is almost impossible to sink even with counter weights, some researchers have discovered.
However, the doctor is of the firm belief that if an individual has been wounded (stabbed for instance) before drowning, his or her body would be more likely to surface in a short space of time. “An injury will definitely make a body surface faster,” he asserted.
Another practicing doctor speculated yesterday that the time within which a body surfaces after being submerged could also be dependent on the current and the depth of the body of water.
“It is very possible that the body can come up the same day,” the doctor insisted.
Drowning investigations have also proven that factors that affect the length of time for a body to surface after drowning could include fat content, consumption of beverages and food preceding death, water temperature at the bottom, and depth at the location. Recent meals high in carbohydrates (e.g., candy, beer, and potato chips) are able to nourish certain bacteria that will encourage quick refloat.
But despite all the theories relayed, the true cause of Nalini De Agrella’s death may not be known until a post mortem examination is conducted.
This newspaper understands that the examination will be undertaken today by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh.
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