In Florida, a paratrooper dies after colliding with another in the air

An experienced 76-year-old paratrooper died in the city of DeLand (northeast Florida) after colliding in the air with another paratrooper and probably losing control of his parachute in the fall, the Police Department of the city reported on Monday.

The event occurred on the morning of last Sunday, when a paratrooper with 20,000 jumps on his account, whose identity was not officially disclosed, violently crashed into the ground of a parking lot after a parachute jump, said in a statement the Policeman.

Several witnesses told Volusia County Police officers that they watched two paratroopers collide in midair with their parachutes open and become entangled.

One of the paratroopers managed to regain control of the parachute, but the other person was unable to make his parachute reopen.

The witnesses tried to help the crashed paratrooper, but could do nothing to save his life.

According to local media, the deceased paratrooper was a seasoned and well-known jumper and the accident occurred on a windy day.

The other jumper, also with long experience in this sport, managed to land safely and without suffering any injury.
“It is difficult to blame the sky, so big. The sky is huge up there, however we collided,” he lamented in statements to the local channel WESH2.

Authorities said they will review and investigate the event to see if there is any improvement they can make, but that it was really just a tragic accident, the outlet added.