CORNWALL, Ontario – Raymond Burelle only recently went back into the water – because it’s the place this summer where he saw how tragic life can be.
The Cornwall man was dubbed the “good samaritan” in July when he jumped into the water west of the city in an effort to save the life of local filmmaker John Earle, who died after suffering a heart attack while on a dive.
In the days and weeks since the event Burelle – an experienced diver who only a few days ago went back to his hobby – has been plagued by images from the day, which flashed vividly in his mind. Sleeping became an ordeal, and so did work – he’s currently on stress leave as a result of the event.
While at the same time suggesting he’s “dealing” with the trauma as best he can, Burelle is critical of a system where professionals like firefighters, police and paramedics have quick access to counselling services, and so-called good samaritans do not.
“They have all the resources they need,” he said from his Cornwall home Monday. “But for someone who is a good samaritan…they go because it is the right thing to do.”
Immediately following the tragedy Burelle was offered an hour’s worth of free counselling by a local agency. Since then similar services have been hard to come by.
An ironworker by trade, Burelle said he’s still on stress leave.
“You don’t realize how it will affect you until it happens to you. It affects you…um…,” and then Burelle’s voice trails off.
He and his family were out boating on the St. Lawrence River west of Cornwall July 18. He had just tied his boat to a dock at Guindon Park and was looking to fetch his truck to pull the watercraft from the river when people began noticing a diver in trouble on the water.
Burelle raced to his boat and carefully navigated the rock-filled basin where the diver was in trouble. Burelle grabbed a life-jacket and jumped into the water to try and help.
Burelle had to grapple with what he was seeing in front of him, and the frantic cries from Earle’s wife, Alyssa Blais, who began swimming to her husband.
“I shouted to her ‘Sweetheart, you don’t want to be here,'” recounted Burelle, who knew Earle was in serious trouble. “I tried to keep her busy.”
Blais swam out anyway, and was handed a lifejacket from another boater in the area. After Earle was transported to shore, Burelle got Blais back into his boat and took the two to the dock.
After tying up his boat, and seeing the ambulance pull away, Burelle said the trauma of the event finally hit home.
“I just started shaking like a leaf in a windstorm,” he said. “As soon as I got to that dock I had a complete breakdown.
“I had to have someone else pull my boat out.”
Despite being told by emergency professionals that he did everything correctly at the scene, Burelle is still grappling with his actions.
“There are times when I say ‘Oh my god, what did I do?'” he said. “There’s still some doubt in your mind. That doubt will always be with you.”
Blais told Seaway News in an interview in the days following Earle’s death that an autopsy report indicated he suffered a massive heart attack, and his death was not in any way related to the dive.
“The doctor said it could have happened during a bike ride or even a walk,” she said. “It was just the physical exertion.”
Despite the trauma, Burelle said there is a sliver of a silver lining.
“It has really brought my girlfriend and I closer,” he said. “I used to think that I was invincible. But this has made me more aware…more cautious.”
