student accident

[phoenixlpr 0]

Cool! It seems to be taken by the media.

I was told It was among the 8'o'clock news of a Hungarian TV channel ( not in the gossip news).

[jumpergirl 0]

I just posted this in the Bonfire thread as well.

I had seen the video online before these posts got so big and before I was hearing it all over the place. Just today, I heard the local morning show talk about it. I cringed but listened anyway.

Then, I stopped at the gas station for a drink and heard 2 men telling the cashier about it. "Her main parachute didn't open so she cut it away and went to her reserve. Then that one didn't open either and she landed on her face on the concrete. Now they found out she was pregnant when she jumped." I turned to the guy and asked, "Are you a jumper?" He said, "Well, no." I said, "Well, I am, and some of the facts they are reporting a wrong." He said, "You know, I don't care what they say, I still want to go jump but I don't want to waste all of that money on the training and stuff. It can't be that hard and I'm not scared at all." I looked at him for a second and said, "Yeah, you do that" and walked out.

THEN, the DJ on the radio station I'm listening to at work just mentioned it - with the wrong information again.

I don't blame these people for simply repeating what they have heard on the news. Afterall, the news is true, right?

So what can I do locally? Can I point them to these threads, or will that just make it worse? What do I tell the bozos I cross daily when they start talking shit about it?

[JeepDiver 0]

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What do I tell the bozos I cross daily when they start talking shit about it?

One of the things that I find most annoying is the BS I've had to deal with at work today. I've been told I'm a jackass for about the 10th time today.... being called a prick I'm used to but not a jackass.

[jumpergirl 0]

My boss hasn't said anything about it, but I'm waiting.

[Elisha 1]

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My boss hasn't said anything about it, but I'm waiting.

Me neither...

When I first heard someone at work mention this incident, I gave an example in front of the two people of:

What if they were at a party, had 2 drinks, were still good to drive, but drove a sports car home that was above their skill level on a windy rode and got in an accident. Then, the media just reported an accident and that alchohol may have played a role...failing to mention of course the car and driver experience and possible mechanical issues the car may have had.

[riggerrob 558]

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I think if this was an ugly fat guy, it would be relegated to its 20 seconds of fame on Real TV.

Are you kidding!!??! "Ugly Fat guy finds himself pregnant after skydiving accident." Would be a HUGE (pun intended) story.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

... front page on the National Enquirer!

[phoenixlpr 0]

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THEN, the DJ on the radio station I'm listening to at work just mentioned it - with the wrong information again.

I don't blame these people for simply repeating what they have heard on the news. Afterall, the news is true, right? MadCrazyUnsure

It's going to true after some repetition.

Like any crapy music can be on the Pop Top 10 if it is played enough on the radio......

[adobelover 0]

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Dude, yes you can. It's simply because she found herself pregnant during her stay at the hospital. That's sensational and it makes for a good 'story'.

So, ummm, who is the baby's father?

Her boyfriend instructor and he shot the video!

_________________________________________


Old age ain't no place for sissies!

[riggerrob 558]

It all comes down to the training IMHO. It just wasnt there. I know the instructor..and others involved..I jumped with this instructor..but I NEVER heard, nor understood, my reserve to be a GUARENTEE! There are no GUARENTEES in life...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Anyone who spouts "guaranteed open" clearly knows little about reserves.

Rob Warner
FAA Master Rigger
CSPA Rigger Instructor
packed more than 3,000 reserves

[riggerrob 558]

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This is just unbelievable. Thanks to CNN & the AP wire service, not only has it hit every single newspaper and local and national news broadcast in the US, it's now gone international. (Here's the BBC's link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4527754.stm).

For the life of me, I cannot understand what makes her "no shit there I was" story any more worthy of worldwide news coverage than any other skydiver's bonfire story.

3 million skydives worldwide annually, maybe 2 or 3 of them resulting in a reserve mal after a cutaway, and one of them has to happen to her. Someone should tell her it's ok to take the Scarlet "A" off her chest now...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It was a slow news day.

[freethefly 6]

I am starting to cool down on how I originally felt when this first hit the media airwave. I know Rick and Shayna and know that they are genuinely nice people. Rick is a pretty cool guy and Shayna is an extremely sweet girl. It is a shame how this has played out. It is obvious that they did not realize that this would cause a backlashing that they may regret. I now believe that they did not intend harm on the sport. I also understand the need to pay med bills as I have had to brankrupt over $60,000.00 in medical bills at one time. Having major medical bills piling up with no way to pay can lead to other complications that a person can do without. I hope that this will soon die down and be forgotten. I am also retracting anything negative that I may have posted and I am hoping that Rick and Shayna will not be shunned in the community. I hope that others, also, will wish them nothing but good from here on out as I believe that this is not of their making but only got caught up the media's wave.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[riggerrob 558]

Different students can absorb different amounts of information on different days.
If you feed them more information - than they can absorb in one sitting - they will "dump" some or fixate on minor points.

That is why first jump instructors fixate on "must knows" then meter out "should knows" depending upon how receptive students are that day. "COuld knows" are best left for later jumps.

Riser turns to stop a spin are "should knows" but probably more than the average first jump student can absorb.

We disagree about when riser turns should be introduced.
But, I do agree with you that a student with 10 jumps "should" have already practiced rear riser turns.

[BlindBrick 0]

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Dude, yes you can. It's simply because she found herself pregnant during her stay at the hospital. That's sensational and it makes for a good 'story'.

So, ummm, who is the baby's father?

Her instructor/boyfriend. He's the TM in the Skydive Radio pic.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[pilotdave 0]

Am I the only one that's not particularly upset about this??

The news reports don't seem to be all that wrong. Exaggerated? Sure, like they'd be for any story. But people are talking about this like it's another Scott Lutz.

What's the fear? Skydiving is going to go out of business because of some bad publicity? Hell, you'll probably find all kinds of infertile women suddenly coming out for tandems hoping that'll help them get pregnant.

People think skydiving is dangerous. IT IS! Shit like this happens! Why would we expect the media to report otherwise?

Dave

[Andy9o8 0]

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Am I the only one that's not particularly upset about this??

Yes. We're on a roll. Feed us or go away.

[Orange1 0]

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Am I the only one that's not particularly upset about this??

Seems so I think it's partly because of what's been mentioned - it's all over the news, everywhere, and we're all inundated with worried family members and co-workers thinking we're crazy. ...And maybe it's because we tend to underplay the risks to try assure family members that we'll be OK, and then something like this reminds us all that it is dangerous... and we can all go on about most incidents being due to human error, but in the back of our minds we know we all make mistakes and we're just hoping like hell that our own don't happen in the air.

But all that said it really gets my goat to hear someone say "I didn't know what to do"!!! By jump 10... you've been hanging around a DZ, you've been reading things, talking to people, etc. Especially with an instructor bf! By jump 10 you know there's no-one up there holding your hand and even if some of what was taught in FJC went in one ear and out the other, you are well past 1st jump and should realise that you are responsible for your own safety. (Am I right that this was a solo jump? Solo means being cleared to be able to look after yourself in the air?) By jump 10 you should be able to look up and recognise an unstowed toggle. No?

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[TheMonkey 0]

i'd be pretty salty if i was the rigger that packed that reserve... her interviews says the reserve is "guaranteed" to open, thus implying to the whuffo world that there was a problem with equipment and/or the packing.

no guarantees in this sport, other than if you jump, you will land one way or another... save for spontaneous combustion in freefall, i've never seen but i know a guy....

edit: spelling tard

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Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience!

[Loonix 0]

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What's the fear? Skydiving is going to go out of business because of some bad publicity?

I'm not sure how it is like in the USA, but in Norway, the fact is that after serious accidents, the number of students for FJCs actually increases... It is weird, but true. Which makes me quite unsure about how bad this really is, at least when it comes to the business aspect.

on a sidenote, the story has also hit norwegian newspapers.

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[pilotdave 0]

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her interviews says the reserve is "guaranteed" to open, thus implying to the whuffo world that there was a problem with equipment and/or the packing

There WAS a problem with the equipment and/or the packing. Maybe an easy problem for a more experienced jumper to fix, but there was a problem.

What's the big deal about the "guaranteed to open" comment? Everybody knows that no parachute is guaranteed to open. I'm not talking about skydivers, I mean everybody. Most people believe most skydiving fatalities occur when parachutes "fail to open." If all parachutes opened, it'd be a really safe sport, right?

In her Good Morning America interview, she even recommended that the interviewer try skydiving. She said something like "you've got to try it to understand."

The message I'd take from that is "DAMN, it MUST be good for this girl to say that!"

All these news reports will be long forgotten by the time the student season starts back up in most of the country. And I seriously doubt they'll have any negative effect anywhere.

Are people upset because they believe this will have a negative effect? Maybe I'm dead wrong about this. What do people think? Regardless of how bad the reporting is, what difference will this make?

Dave

[goose491 0]

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What's the fear? Skydiving is going to go out of business because of some bad publicity?

I think the fear each time we see skydiving portrayed poorly like this in the media is that of futur regulation from outside sources.

The only thing that needs better regulation in our sport (IMHO) is the people we allow to start in

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Hell, you'll probably find all kinds of infertile women suddenly coming out for tandems hoping that'll help them get pregnant.

This was hillarious btw.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[Superfletch 1]

It cracks me up... you all dump on her for getting her facts wrong and think she should be some kind of media consultant in the handling of her story or at the very least expect her to know how to handle every situation thrown at her... She made mistakes, it's a shame... Let sleeping dogs lie.

To answer your question AGAIN... That was her 10th skydive. Up until then she had, had several tandems and a couple of IAD's. It was being treated as an AFF LVL 1. She was not cleared to be by herself and she was not by herself. Had you been paying attention to any of these posts you would know that. Sure is easy to pass on miss information isn't it?

You can kind of see how things snowballed to the point they have can't you? If you can't, I don't know what to say about you. It's real easy to point fingers and place blame when you are sitting back in your easy chair watching the news... Maybe you should just shake your head, hope it dies out and show a little compassion rather than log on, get swept up in the frenzy of hate and further twist the story more than it has been already. Had I not read your post and responded it wouldn't surprise me that in a few hours she hadn't left the plane by herself without a parachute, flew over to her instructor, mr. Billed him and rode his main in after he chopped it. Each one of you people that starts off spouting about shit you have no idea about seems to add your own little account of what happened and that gets passed on to the next guy...

To all of you I say... If you weren't there and didn't see the accident or don't personally know these people and have first hand knowledge of what happened AND can be able to repeat it without adding your own damn twist on the chain of events, keep your damn comments to yourself. No one cares how you would have handled the situation, because simply put, the majority of you out there probably don't know what you'd do unless you were faced with it yourself.

Like I said, I don't condone what they did or how this hit the airways... turns out that her high school science teacher started the deal in the first place thinking he was helping out. However you can't expect an AFF LVL 1 student to keep all her facts straight, know exactly what to do in any situation, know all the terminology involved and especially read the minds of half of you assholes and know what to say that wouldn't upset you. Period! And if you do... You've got bigger problems than Shayna ever did have.

Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher
D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I
Videographer/Photographer

[justinb138 0]

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There WAS a problem with the equipment and/or the packing. Maybe an easy problem for a more experienced jumper to fix, but there was a problem.

Are you talking about the main or reserve?

There was nothing wrong with the main, the jumper unstowed only one of the brakes, then chopped it as it went into a spin.

[goose491 0]

I understand the Stima attached to a poorly reported skydive incident.

I understand how it gives the sport a "black eye" to read or hear "The chute didn't open."

But in this case, I truly fail to see how she is hindering the sport to say what she is saying and follow it up by the fact that she'll be right back in the saddle as soon as she is able!

I try to see this from Whuffo eyes, and I too can say nothing more then: "It MUST mean something that she is willing to go back."

Also, let's not take the entire whuffo population as complete saps here. She is introduced as a student, it is mentioned that she only had 9 jumps, and her own words about how she delt with her problems on deployment ("I didn't know what to do") don't land responsibility for her injury on the sport at all!

just my $0.02CND

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[pilotdave 0]

I was talking about the reserve.

Dave

[hexadecimal 0]

If this girl does continue in the sport, I really hope she is started back at AFF1 with a good instructor and quizzed several times to prove that she actually remembers the things she needs to know this time before she is allowed back in the air.