Snohomish woman identified as diver killed in July accident in Mukilteo

by DAVID PAN reporter @ yourbeacon net

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office has identified the female diver who died July 23 near the Silver Cloud Inn on the Mukilteo waterfront.

Stacia J. Hornbacher, 59 of Snohomish, died July 23 due to an arterial gas embolism while scuba diving, according to the office.

Mukilteo police received a call that divers in the water were yelling for help at 3:27 p.m.

Before officers arrived, several people had already helped the female diver to shore, where she received medical treatment. The woman was unconscious and taken to the hospital.

Hornbacher is the second diver to have died in two months in Mukilteo.

Hans Korompis, a 33-year-old Edmonds man, is presumed to have drowned after failing to surface while scuba diving near Lighthouse Park on June 17.

His companion diver, also 33, was uninjured.

After an extensive search, the Coast Guard and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office dive team declared Korompis miss- ing and called off the search.

The online Merck Manual defines arterial gas embolism as the blockage of the blood supply to organs caused by bubbles in an artery. It is a leading cause of death among underwater divers, such as scuba divers, who breathe compressed air.

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