MAN SERIOUS AFTER DIVING ACCIDENT

POPLAR BLUFF -- A Poplar Bluff man was in serious but stable condition Tuesday at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau after a diving accident over the weekend.

Tyson T. Kern, 24, received serious spinal injuries while swimming at Lake Wappapello Saturday afternoon. He was transferred to St. Francis Medical Center Saturday night and remained in the hospital's surgical intensive-care unit Tuesday.

Kern was swimming at Rockwood Point when he dove head first into water that measured 18 inches to 2 feet. Emergency medical technician Kathy Hitt of the East Wayne County Ambulance District said Kern thought the area was safe enough to dive into.

"From what we understood he thought the water was a lot deeper than what it really was," she said.

Kern was unconscious when he was pulled from the lake and was revived by emergency personnel with the Stoddard County Ambulance and East Wayne County Ambulance District. He was diagnosed with a cervical fracture and was taken to Lucy Lee Healthcare System in Poplar Bluff.

A Missouri Water Patrol report said after Kern dove into the water he immediately surfaced face down. Water Patrolman Don Carnahan was the first person to assist in removing Kern from the water.

Hitt said emergency medical personnel were on the scene within "a matter of minutes" of receiving the call. The number of personnel responding and the cooperation between the different agencies was critical, Hitt said.

"That everyone was working together was great," Hitt said. "When they said that he had a weak pulse it was the best thing we heard."

Because of high water, Rockwood Beach was the only beach open on the lake last weekend.