A 29-year-old mother of two from Hawaii drowned when she accidentally fell off a cliff into the ocean while her helpless boyfriend watched in horror. The boyfriend is now blaming the first responders, saying that they did not have the necessary equipment to rescue her and prevent her from being swept away by the sea.
Kalaiokealaula Ashley Nicole Reyes Kanekoa was with her boyfriend, Dylan Gopp, 31, watching the waves around 2 a.m. on Saturday on a cliff near Hawaiian Paradise Island Park when she accidentally fell, Hawaii News Now reported. Gopp said that Kanekoa survived the fall initially. However, when first responders arrived, they reportedly lacked the required equipment.
Could Have Survived
In the midst of the distressing incident, the boyfriend tried to throw a flotation device to her. Unfortunately, despite his attempts, the young woman was ultimately swept away by the ocean's currents.
Overwhelmed by the unimaginable event, Gapp claimed that although his girlfriend initially survived the fall, she did not make it through the prolonged wait for help. He claimed that emergency personnel should have taken more extensive measures to save her, according to the news outlet.
"I had to get a raft to her. They didn't have a flotation device. I got the raft out to her, and I said, 'OK, let's get a rope to her so she doesn't drift away,' and they said, 'Oh, we don't have any rope,'" Gopp told the outlet.
"To sit there and watch this girl suffer for 45 minutes to an hour suffer and scream for help and them to say boats were coming eventually."
Hawaii County police told Hawaii News Now that they quickly responded, along with firefighters, within seven minutes of the 911 call.
However, police said that the fire truck was not equipped for ocean rescue, and they deemed the situation too dark and hazardous to enter the water themselves.
"We requested services from the fire department for a rescue boat. We attempted to call a fire department helicopter. We also called the Coast Guard," police Capt. Todd Pataray told the outlet.
"He attempted to rescue Kanekoa by throwing out a flotation device, however was unsuccessful as she was pulled out by the ocean's currents," police said on Facebook.
Boyfriend Blames Authorities
Gapp recounted that in an attempt to save his girlfriend, he swam out to where she was clinging to a raft after an hour of waiting for the helicopter and rescue boat to arrive. However, when he returned, he said that emergency responders could no longer see her.
The devastated boyfriend shared the painful and heartbreaking details of the ordeal.
"Her sitting on that raft screaming help. 'What do I do now? What do I do now?' And me telling her, 'They are going to get you' and 'they are going to get you.' And they never came to get her," Gopp said.
According to the Hawaii Fire Department, as reported by Hawaii News Now, the helicopter couldn't fly due to windy conditions. The rescue boat had to travel from Hilo, approximately 15 miles up the coast, and it arrived at 4 a.m.
The cause of Kanekoa's death has been officially determined as an accidental drowning. The outlet reported that there is no suspicion of foul play in the incident.
"She was a loving, caring person," Gopp told HNN. "She loved her kids more than anything. She had a lot of fun. Lot of joy in life. She was always giggling, laughing."
