A judge has ruled the police and firefighters had no legal obligation to rescue a suicidal man who waded into San Francisco Bay and drowned while the first responders watched.
The Oakland Tribune reports that Alameda County Superior Court Judge George Hernandez' ruling effectively forecloses efforts by 52-year-old Raymond Zack's family to hold the city of Alameda liable for his death.
Fire officials have said their employees stayed on the beach because they did not have water rescue training or a boat that could navigate the shallow bay.
The judge also determined that authorities did not exacerbate the danger Zack faced by clearing the beach and preventing other witnesses from attempting a rescue.
The lawyer for Zack's brother and sister, Robert Cartwright, says he will ask Hernandez to reconsider and if that fails, file an appeal.
