Richard L. Gomez, of Berwyn, was pronounced dead on the scene at 11:02 a.m. by the LaSalle County coroner's office, according to Cpl. Dave Woolford of the LaSalle County sheriff's office.
About 9 a.m., someone at Skydive Chicago called for an ambulance because a skydiver suffered a "hard landing," Woolford said.
About an hour later, sheriff's deputies and the coroner's office were called to the scene.
Woolford said the establishment did not close down for the day, and skydivers were still going up as of Sunday afternoon.
“Another plane took off after the investigation,’’ said Woolford, who added that an accident like the one Sunday “normally doesn’t stop people.’’
“They're a different breed. There’s a guy that jumps five or six times a day,’’ he said.
A spokeswoman for Skydive Chicago said she had no information about the incident.
“He was a really nice guy,’’ said Sal Gamino, 62, who lives across the street from Gomez in the 2600 block of Clarence Avenue.
The two would often shovel snow in the neighborhood and Gomez, a retired mechanic, would always be tinkering around with his 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon, in which he kept all his skydiving equipment.
“I knew he was an enthusiast,’’ but Gamino said he’d never talked about skydiving any further.
Gomez was married and had children from a prior marriage living in California.
“Every time we saw each other we’d talk,’’ Gamino said.
Gomez, who was also a handyman, asked Gamino which contractor did repair work on his roof because he was thinking of having some repairs done also.
“He’d joke that he was the jack of all trades and the master of none,’’ Gamino said.
Gomez was “quiet and relaxed at first,’’ but once they got to know each other the men became closer friends, Gamino said.
“It’s a shame,’’ Gamino said of his neighbor’s death. “It’s shocking. It took my breath away when my wife told me.’’
A woman who answered the door at Gomez's home appeared upset and said she could not talk before shutting the front door of the one-story bungalow. A faded Chicago Cubs doormat and several ceramic figurines shaped like turtles decorated its porch. The lawn was cut and appeared well cared for.
"He's got a station wagon with the old wood grain," said Ricky Garcia, 29, who was on the porch at his father-in-law's house in the 2600 block of Clarence Avenue.
"It's loud as hell," Garcia chuckled, estimating the car was about 30 years old. Gomez took excellent care of it, Garcia said.
Garcia said he was just thinking he hadn't heard the wagon when he found out about Gomez's death.
"They kept to themselves," Garcia said of Gomez and his wife. "They're good people."
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com
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