Posted by socalromans on August 26, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

WOW!
Another hard lesson in boating?
Everybody in a boat must wear life jackets.
Period.
That simple rule could have saved this man's life.
Too bad...seemed like he was trying to do the right thing and save his daughter, but he paid the price.
Vaya con Dios.

Posted by AnnaWhaat on August 26, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Such a sad story......My prayers and Condolences to the family and friends!! God Bless !

Posted by dsalazar805 on August 26, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

it seems as if that lake just swallows people alive... my condolences to the family

Posted by joeMomma on August 26, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

That guy is a hero - trying to save a child. God speed.

Posted by vcsexplorer11 on August 26, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Poor girl is going to feel guilty all her life now. This is so sad!!

Posted by opns on August 26, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Poor girl is going to feel guilty all her life now."

Not necessarily, the child i hope will learn it was not her fault at all, but rather her dad's very own negligence. Maybe she will feel guilty for a while until she gets the appropriate help.

Posted by getreal on August 26, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The little girl is 5 people, 5. Why in the world would she or should she ever feel responsible for falling over board and her daddy trying to save her? Who knows what happened down there. He could have hit his head or become stuck in the mud. So to say "her dad's very own negligence" are you serious? If your kid fell in the water would you be so negligent to save them? opns I hope you are childless and if you are you need to remain that way.

Posted by opns on August 26, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

getreal - did the children have life jackets on? Did he have a life jacket on? If no = negligent. If they all had life jackets on, they would of stayed afloat. Think? But then, i'm not family with Piru lake, so with that.

Posted by MissGreen on August 26, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Getreal, I think opns was referring to the fact that the 5 year old was not wearing a life jacket, which would have made it much easier to save the child. He, as well, should have been wearing a life jacket. You have to be dumb not too. If you fall in and struggle for any length of time you are going to get tired, and not have anything to grab onto to stay above water, hence the life jacket!!

Posted by opns on August 26, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"opns I hope you are childless and if you are you need to remain that way." - Brutal

Cheers

Posted by Jewels on August 26, 2008 at 10:55 a.m.

(This thread was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by getreal on August 26, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The 5 year old was wearing a vest. The star just has a habit of reporting partial details.

Posted by MissGreen on August 26, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Getreal- you where there or something?

Posted by getreal on August 26, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No, its in Piru's newspaper

Posted by Jewels on August 26, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Piru has a newspaper?

Posted by shoegal on August 26, 2008 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am (was) a friend of this man's for 18 years. He is (was) an amazing human being. A dedicated father and husband, a generous giver to charity and the very definition of a "self made" man in every sense of the word. No one has a right to judge or suppose what could have or should have happened. Only G d knows what His plan is for each and every one of us.

The child was wearing a life jacket, which is why she resurfaced. The father reacted quickly to his child going overboard and dove in after her. He happens to be 6 feet 3 inches tall, or there about so he had no way of knowing the depth of the lake and it is simply an UNAVOIDABLE tragedy.

He leaves behind 5 children and a loving wife and there is no way to make sense of this tragedy, but to judge it when you don't know the facts is unseemly and mean to those who are left behind.

G d help and bless all of us because clearly this man was taken because he is (was) just too good to walk the earth with the rest of us mere mortals.

Leave people better then you found them on a daily basis and then maybe we can begin to deserve to share the company of and learn from a man as great as Anatoly Smolyansky.

Posted by Comments on August 26, 2008 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Cripes the level of speculation and blame that goes on in some of these posts is just awful. To the people who are blaming the father without even knowing the facts - big SHAME on you. Do you know for a fact that there were no life vests being worn? If not, then how dare you make an assumption to that effect and make harmful statements that could only add to the family's misery at their loss. I swear it seems as though some here sit and wait for heartbreaking stories to get printed so that they can sit and gloat about how perfect they are and how imperfect the rest population is.

I have no idea what happened on that lake and the only ones who really do are the father and the 3 children. No matter what happened, the fact is that it was a tragedy of epic proportions for this family. The only appropriate thing to say here is sorry for the sad loss of life. Express condolences and save your expert opinions on lake safety for another day.

To the family, I am very, very sorry for your loss. I've lost many in my family, but none in this way and I can't imagine your pain. My heart goes out to the little 5 yr old girl. Many healing thoughts coming your way.

Posted by opns on August 26, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"star just has a habit of reporting partial details." ...
I was just responding to a comment that eluded to the fact that they did not have life jackets on, later to find out that she was.
I don't mean to offend the family, not at all.
My sincerely apologies and condolances for hurting anyone.
Respectfully

Posted by Jewels on August 26, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have suggested a removal for my previous message. I in no way wanted to come across as judging anybody. And after re-reading my post I came across just that way. I never post on here because sometimes what you type does not come across the way you intend. None of us can say what we would do if our 5 year old fell over board and you are right none of us were there. My heart goes out to everyone involved. I praise God that the little girl did not drown. Peace be with all.

Posted by shoegal on August 26, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To the person who stood up for people laying blame without knowing the facts and condeming that type of behaviour. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Posted by shoegal on August 26, 2008 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To Jewels, thank you, thank you so much for reviewing and removing your comments. Thank you for taking responsability for unintentionally causing pain. You are a good person and now I know Anatoly did not die in vain. He was the most sensative caring man, always with a smile and the fact that you have expressed sensativity, that you back up took a look and corrected yourself is a very very big thing to do.

G d bless you and thank you for somehow giving this sensless tragedy an uplifting moment.

Thank you

Posted by Jewels on August 26, 2008 at 1:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I pray that they recover his body soon, so not to add pain and agony to his family.

Posted by getreal on August 26, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and remaining children. I fully understand the amount of pain they are feeling. He reacted as any father would have by imediately following his child into the water. We will probably never know what happened once he hit the water.

Posted by socalromans on August 26, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"The only appropriate thing to say here is sorry for the sad loss of life. Express condolences and save your expert opinions on lake safety for another day."
Comments....I don't agree.
Freedom of expression means we can say what we feel about something.
In every tragedy there are lessons to be learned...like in how NOT to let it happen again.

To say we can only write condolences here is childish.

Don't let this tragedy happen to you and yours...

Posted by hisgrl on August 26, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I feel so bad for the family. I my self cant swim and would have done the same thing as to jumping in and trying to save my daughter. It is a parents instinct.

Posted by LivinInPoorMansPV on August 26, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Very Bizzare and Sad. I guess the comment about the victim being 6'3" leads some of us to beleive that when he dove in, he hit the bottom with his head and got knocked out???? A person could live for almost 45 minutes with no oxygen, too bad they couldn't find his body in time. Gross as it may sound, the body will bloat and surface within about 24-36 hours of death.

They always take the good ones early. RIP Anatoly

Condolences to the family.

I believe the little girl will be fine growing up knowing her dad is/was her hero.

Posted by shoegal on August 26, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It has been most comforting reading your comments throughout the day. Thank you all. LivinIN has come to the same conclusion we all have. All we can do now is wait so all your prayers for a quick recovery of the body are welcome so that the family can lay him to rest and begin their period of morning.

And also I learned something I didn't even think of before. While the five year old has commented that she feels some personal responsability, the message can be reframed for the child and she will grow up knowing that her father was a hero.

Thank you a million times thank you.

Posted by handyhood on August 26, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The area of the lake where the victem dove in has a lot of snags. He may be hung up on one. Don't expect a diver to find the body, as Piru lake is basically a mud hole with visability at about 1 to 2 feet, it near to impossible to find your own hand much less a body. There is a serious current in the lake and almost anything that goes down ends up down by the dam eventually. Lets also not forget about the HUGE catfish that have been know to nibble at anything not living. This is not the first time an accident such as this has happened at this lake and regretably won't be the last.

Posted by vcsexplorer11 on August 26, 2008 at 7 p.m. (Suggest removal)

By the way, when I said the girl will feel guilty I had no way said that she was at fault. She wasn't, but many kids and adults will feel that way no matter what people say.

It's one of those crazy things that go through your mind when you wish things were different. I am sure we all have done it in different types of situations, not just when someone passes away.

Posted by opns on August 27, 2008 at 5:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Denial, Anger, Barbaining, Depression, Acceptance.
Yes the ultimate goal, is that her father is a hero. The Grief cycle is not always in this order, and it comes and goes suddenly and out of nowhere.
I pray they find him soon.

Posted by AnnaWhaat on August 28, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

My heart goes out to this family. This is a terrible tragedy.
And Piru doesn't have a newspaper.......
Did anyone think that perhaps they all had on life vests? But the Dad knowing it would keep him from swimming down to reach his child took his off to try to save her instead of floating right back up? Just a thought........