A father died in front of his wife and son after having a suspected heart attack during his first solo parachute jump.
Gareth Vaughn, 59, plummeted to the ground after apparently losing control of his parachute at around 1,500 feet.
Witnesses told how the South African businessman's wife and son watched in horror from below as he missed the designated landing spot and smashed into a wall.
Police spokeswoman Joey Jeevan today confirmed an investigation had been launched into the tragedy, which happened at around midday yesterday near the port city of Durban.
She said: 'This was the victim's first solo parachute jump, which was organized by an established company.
'At the moment all we know for certain is that the man landed incorrectly as he hit the ground.
'He had started the jump okay but at around 1,500 feet he apparently appeared to lose control of the parachute and stopped doing what he had been taught to do.
'He was due to land in a designated area which was marked by flags but instead he drifted over and hit a wall.
'We believe it is possible that he suffered some kind of attack in the air - either a heart attack or an anxiety attack which left him unable to respond to instructions.
'Sadly he suffered serious head injuries on impact and died at the scene.'
Lieutenant Jeevan said a postmortem would be conducted to establish the cause of Mr Vaughn's death.
She said: 'We cannot say for sure what killed him, or whether he was alive or dead when he hit the ground.
'All we know is that he appeared to be unresponsive from around midway through the jump.
'The postmortem should reveal what happened and we are investigating the incident.'
South Africa's Daily News newspaper today reported that Mr Vaughn had signed up for yesterday's parachute after harboring a long-term dream to complete a skydive.
The novice jumper completed a full day's training on Saturday before the static-line jump yesterday morning.
Skydive instructor Vernon Kloppers told the newspaper everything had seemed normal ahead of the routine leap at the Durban Skydive Centre in the village of Eston in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.
But he told how Mr Vaughn became unresponsive after he leaped from the plane at 3,500 feet.
Mr Kloppers said: 'He jumped at 3,500 feet and his parachute automatically opened through the static line.
'He was seen controlling the parachute until about 1,500 feet.
'At this point, he became unresponsive under the canopy.
'We do not know what happened.'
Paramedics confirmed Mr Vaughn was examined at the scene of the accident and declared dead before being taken to hospital.
The family man's friend Paul Raglan-Smith told the Daily News doctors said they believed he had suffered a heart attack in mid air.
The shocked friend added that Mr Vaughn had put parachute jumping on his 'bucket list' of things to achieve before he died.
Mr Raglan-Smith told the publication he finally decided to do so yesterday to mark Mother's Day, which happened yesterday in South Africa.
He said: 'Yesterday was Mother's Day and he decided the time was right to make his dream come true. Unfortunately, it ended tragically.'
He added: 'Doctors at the hospital said they suspected he suffered a massive heart attack soon after he jumped.'
Mr Raglan-Smith said Mr Vaughn's family had been left devastated by the tragedy.
He added that his wife and son were in a state of shock after watching the horrific accident unfold.
A spokeswoman for the Durban Skydive Centre today confirmed the incident was being investigated by the Parachute Association of South Africa.
Static line parachute jumps allow novice skydivers to make solo leaps with less training than is required by normal jumps.
The skydiver is attached to the plane by a line which automatically opens their canopy as they leave the plane.
The parachutist must then use the knowledge they gained in training to control their descent to the ground.
According to the website of the British Parachute Association, static line jumps carry a risk of around one in 170 of being injured and one in 40,000 of being killed.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Gareth Vaughn, 59, plummeted to the ground after apparently losing control of his parachute at around 1,500 feet.
Witnesses told how the South African businessman's wife and son watched in horror from below as he missed the designated landing spot and smashed into a wall.
Police spokeswoman Joey Jeevan today confirmed an investigation had been launched into the tragedy, which happened at around midday yesterday near the port city of Durban.
She said: 'This was the victim's first solo parachute jump, which was organized by an established company.
'At the moment all we know for certain is that the man landed incorrectly as he hit the ground.
'He had started the jump okay but at around 1,500 feet he apparently appeared to lose control of the parachute and stopped doing what he had been taught to do.
'He was due to land in a designated area which was marked by flags but instead he drifted over and hit a wall.
'We believe it is possible that he suffered some kind of attack in the air - either a heart attack or an anxiety attack which left him unable to respond to instructions.
'Sadly he suffered serious head injuries on impact and died at the scene.'
Lieutenant Jeevan said a postmortem would be conducted to establish the cause of Mr Vaughn's death.
She said: 'We cannot say for sure what killed him, or whether he was alive or dead when he hit the ground.
'All we know is that he appeared to be unresponsive from around midway through the jump.
'The postmortem should reveal what happened and we are investigating the incident.'
South Africa's Daily News newspaper today reported that Mr Vaughn had signed up for yesterday's parachute after harboring a long-term dream to complete a skydive.
The novice jumper completed a full day's training on Saturday before the static-line jump yesterday morning.
Skydive instructor Vernon Kloppers told the newspaper everything had seemed normal ahead of the routine leap at the Durban Skydive Centre in the village of Eston in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.
But he told how Mr Vaughn became unresponsive after he leaped from the plane at 3,500 feet.
Mr Kloppers said: 'He jumped at 3,500 feet and his parachute automatically opened through the static line.
'He was seen controlling the parachute until about 1,500 feet.
'At this point, he became unresponsive under the canopy.
'We do not know what happened.'
Paramedics confirmed Mr Vaughn was examined at the scene of the accident and declared dead before being taken to hospital.
The family man's friend Paul Raglan-Smith told the Daily News doctors said they believed he had suffered a heart attack in mid air.
The shocked friend added that Mr Vaughn had put parachute jumping on his 'bucket list' of things to achieve before he died.
Mr Raglan-Smith told the publication he finally decided to do so yesterday to mark Mother's Day, which happened yesterday in South Africa.
He said: 'Yesterday was Mother's Day and he decided the time was right to make his dream come true. Unfortunately, it ended tragically.'
He added: 'Doctors at the hospital said they suspected he suffered a massive heart attack soon after he jumped.'
Mr Raglan-Smith said Mr Vaughn's family had been left devastated by the tragedy.
He added that his wife and son were in a state of shock after watching the horrific accident unfold.
A spokeswoman for the Durban Skydive Centre today confirmed the incident was being investigated by the Parachute Association of South Africa.
Static line parachute jumps allow novice skydivers to make solo leaps with less training than is required by normal jumps.
The skydiver is attached to the plane by a line which automatically opens their canopy as they leave the plane.
The parachutist must then use the knowledge they gained in training to control their descent to the ground.
According to the website of the British Parachute Association, static line jumps carry a risk of around one in 170 of being injured and one in 40,000 of being killed.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment