Sierra Thomas

[Sierrasmom22 0]

You all can believe what u want ,the news media isnt always correct and I am Sierras mom.I only wanted some answers but it appears I was treated here as rudely as I was by the owner the night my daughter died.,with a few exceptions.I sure am glad I'm not part of the skydiving community if this is the way they treat people! I will be goin out to the accident scene in a few weeks to erect a cross (which I need to find someone to make )and plant a tree and some flowers in Sierras and Dans memory ,if any of u r interested in sharing in r memorial, then maybe u'll see who I am.I will post the date and time of the event.If u want further details u can email me at [email protected] If any of u know jenifer ask her what she bidded on at Sierras benefit dinner and she will tell u golf lessons in medina and a Harley Grill .That should tell u I'm who I say I am.

[Sierrasmom22 0]

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On Sept.19 2009 I lost my 22 year old baby girl to a horrible skydiving accident in Portage County Ohio.She wasn't even suppose to jump that day in fact this was her 1st and only jump,she went to watch her brother but decided after she got there to jump.She was soooooo beautiful,inside and out and I just want her memory to live on.Alot of things went wrong with the jump . I just dont understand why any instructor would put their life let alone his students in someone elses hands by letting someone else pack their chute?

[JohnDeere 0]

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On Sept.19 2009 I lost my 22 year old baby girl to a horrible skydiving accident in Portage County Ohio.She wasn't even suppose to jump that day in fact this was her 1st and only jump,she went to watch her brother but decided after she got there to jump.She was soooooo beautiful,inside and out and I just want her memory to live on.Alot of things went wrong with the jump . I just dont understand why any instructor would put their life let alone his students in someone elses hands by letting someone else pack their chute?

I will answer your question now. The same reason i let the pilot of planes fly for me. They are better at it than me! When you fly on commercial plane do you go up to the cockpit and tell the pilot to sit in the back and let you take care of the flying? Why not? Guess who regulates pilot and riggers....you already know the answer. I think you should call skymama1 into court to help you out, she has it all figured out just like you.......

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!

[Sierrasmom22 0]

I dont need any help in court facts are facts.I just wanted some closure on why my daughters life ended the way it did.,but I see ur as rude as the owner,,,,,,,,

[novacaine 0]

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I just want everybody to be safe, my daughters death could of been prevented! I'm all for having fun and my son said his jump in memory of Sierra was awesome,but honestly I HOPE and pray he never does it again!You guys tell me what ur family would do in r situation.

As unfortunately as it is, it has been pointed out that skydiving has inherent risks. So does bungy jumping, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, riding motorcycles, climbing, etc and many other activities that people choose to do to have fun.

The best way to prevent accidents/mishaps in those risky activities is to avoid participating. No one needs none of the above listed to survive.

What would my family do ? Bitch and whine and accept the fact that I was aware of the risk and entered the activity with eyes wide open.

Sierrasmom22, as Likestojump mentioned ever sport has it's own inherent risks. I have had CO poisoning once from a bad air tank in Scuba diving. I have been swept away in an avalanche despite the risk being at 'Low'. I have broken 3 fingers once from playing basketball. I've broken my nose playing with a nephew. I rolled my ankle walking down the stairs. Accidents do happen, even when we plan to avoid them. Unfortunately, risk is a variable in Life that we must accept.

Sorry for you Loss.

[labrys 0]

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Upload the Video, let us watch it! It'll help us learn and be safer for ourselves and others.

Don't speak for "us" and there's no need to see video to understand this accident and learn from it. Go watch youtube if "you" have a morbid interest in watching accident videos.

Owned by Remi #?

[labrys 0]

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I also know when I got there that night I didnt even get one condolence or a sorry or nuthin the owner just shuffled his feet past me as I collapsed on the ground.

I'm sorry for your loss but I would like to mention, as others have, that another person also died in this accident. Dan was a son, father, husband, and friend to some on this forum as well. The owner was certainly feeling shock and grief at the loss of a friend and may not have been able to give you condolences at that moment.

Owned by Remi #?

[Sierrasmom22 0]

Sorry another typo email is [email protected].

[JohnRich 4]

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I dont need any help in court facts are facts.I just wanted some closure on why my daughters life ended the way it did.

Lots of people are giving you facts, but you seem to be ignoring the facts you don't like.

I know that in your time of grief that this seems like a productive way to channel your energy. But in the long run, sueing people will not bring you closure. That takes years, and much reflection. Eventually you'll see that trying to blame everyone else, and ruin other lives, is not a worthwhile pursuit. And then, when thinking of your daughter, you'll finally be able to remember her with a smile, instead of tears. Good luck on your journey in reaching that point.

[skymama 35]

Anyone who has been in skydiving for a few years has probably lost at least one friend to the sport. There's never any rhyme or reason to it, it's always someone who was taken from us too soon. Through our pain and tears, we've learned to celebrate the life of the person who has passed instead of mourning their death. Of course, we realize this is easier to say than do when it comes to the life of one's own child, but maybe that will help you understand us a little better. My condolences for your loss.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[NovaTTT 1]

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I just wanted some closure on why my daughters life ended the way it did.

I will again give my condolences to the families of Sierra and Dan.

I don't think you're going to get closure by coming onto a skydiving forum with the notion that

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I just want everybody to be safe

It's clear that you do not understand skydiver's or skydiving. We are safety conscious. It's a large part of our training and practice.

And we sure don't need someone without a clue telling us we need to be safe. We know it. We are someone's child but we are not children. We choose to skydive because we enjoy it - each for his own reason.

But it's a fact of life that shit happens. It happens bowling, cooking, having sex, skydiving - it can and does happen everywhere. It's just that with skydiving the effects are greater.

It is my opinion that if you want comfort and closure you should make a fitting tribute to your daughter. Support her decision and live a little like she wanted to. Go out there and make a skydive and enjoy the excitement and thrill of living outside the norm.

I think that would be a fitting and meaningful tribute and memorial to Sierra.

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[skymama1 0]

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Holy fuck. Write much? Man, if you jabber like you post, I'd hate to be in a life raft with you!

If your epic posts are designed to prevent people from responding to you, it's going to work.

If your ridiculously long-winded ramblings are designed to prevent people from reading the same, it is working.

I love to write and I write a lot and quickly. I am not ashamed of it and no one has to read any or all of it.

In fact, given your rude comment, if I've prevented you from reading and responding to me, *thumbs way UP*

Yes I talk a lot (verbally) when I am nervous/anxious (as I likely would be in a life raft lol). I listen a lot when I am with someone I care about or someone else who is sharing something. I ask questions when I feel I need clarification.

We are all different, can we accept that and move on? No one is compelling you to read my post. But I don't appreciate unnecessary offensive one liners in unrelated threads.

peace, i'm out for now.

robyn

Tandem 4/4. FJC and AFF-2 completed 4/9. Rescheduled AFF-3 and 4 due to winds for this next weekend.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world..."

[burtonjm 0]

I wish I could crank out 2650 words that quickly...would have made those high school essays go by a lot faster :P

This shit, right here, is OK

[mjosparky 3]

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Upload the Video, let us watch it! It'll help us learn and be safer for ourselves and others.

Don't speak for "us" and there's no need to see video to understand this accident and learn from it. Go watch youtube if "you" have a morbid interest in watching accident videos.

.

Probably every piece of equipment you use to jump with was videoed during testing. And those videos where run over and over again. An investigation after the fact is just that, after the fact. Things are not always as they seem. Often it comes down to an educated guess as to what started the sequence of events. When viewed by an experienced eye video of the event starting with the deployment of the main can be invaluable. Even eyewitness accounts can be misleading because everyone sees what their mind expects to see. The video lens has no bias of preconceived ideas. To learn for this type of incident you have look at it with a critical eye and a cold heart. So you call it morbid if you need to but most of what you know about jumping was taught to you through video debrief.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[timmyfitz 0]

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I love to write and I write a lot and quickly. I am not ashamed of it and no one has to read any or all of it.

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But I don't appreciate unnecessary offensive one liners in unrelated threads.

You don't have to "read any or all of it" either. You are going to need a thicker skin if you hang around.

(It would also be great if you got all your "facts" correct in your post.)

[aussiechick 0]

I am so sorry for your loss.
Try not to take to heart the attitude you are getting here.

I am a skydiver and a mom.
Even though I've been jumping for 15 years, if something happend to me, i'm sure my mom would be wanting answers.

I don't know the specifics of your daughters accident. I wasn't there.
We all leave our main parachute packing in the hands of capable professionals at some time or another. And as for our reserves, they must be packed by someone qualified to do so.

These accidents always have more than one factor that results in a tragedy.
Jumping is never without risk.

I know this doesn't make things easier for you, but you can be proud that your daughter was a special person that wasn't afraid to live her life.

[regulator 0]

Wholly crap you actually counted all 2,650 words? You deserve a Kit-Kat Bar.

[skymama1 0]

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Wholly crap you actually counted all 2,650 words? You deserve a Kit-Kat Bar.

I was wondering that too.. I'm guessing either it's made up or he cheated (Word's word counter feature?) -- but of course I don't mean to question your integrity in the word-counting department.


Skin's just fine as is for now, methinks, but thanks for the advice.. still don't think people need to fling shit (and still don't mind flinging a bit back on occasion, though hopefully with a little more tact and respect.. so maybe I am a hypocrite too but I'm not too worried at this juncture) but I'm really not too worried this particular forum/thread affecting the scheme of my life and my time in the sport..

I see why they call it dramazone dot come.

Again, I appreciate that someone called out my typo/mix-up between USPA and FAA and clarified such to ensure that only factual information is posted here. So thank you.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming? Or is it time to die thread die?

I would advise Sierra's mom to contact the people who worked with her daughter's death investigation if she still needs facts she lacks, since it seems she won't find here anything she does not know, if you have more questions.

Again, this forum doesn't seem like a place that a parent will get what you need/want in any circumstance even though the death happened skydiving, though there are certainly grief and loss forums online that can probably help sort out some of the deeper issues and questions with losing a child to such an accident (mothering.com has a discussion section with great forums including such- maybe support is better found there for these issues like loss of a child).

It seems there is nowhere to go with further technical questions at this point, or questions of the sport, which has its known risks and adults their own choices- only spiritual and personal questions probably remain to be really delved into. Best of luck on your journey, to Sierra's mom and family, wherever you are.

Tandem 4/4. FJC and AFF-2 completed 4/9. Rescheduled AFF-3 and 4 due to winds for this next weekend.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world..."

[JohnRich 4]

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Wholly crap you actually counted all 2,650 words? You deserve a Kit-Kat Bar.

Cut-and-paste the text to MS-Word, click "Tools" and "Word count". Voila!

[skypuppy 1]

I see why they call it dramazone dot come.
______________________________________________

If it seems that way why bother with the 2500+ word posts (I didn't read it by the way)

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[FanOfFalling 0]

Not even going into the content of the posts. Skymama1 is liable to write a book about this sport one day just given her posts so far, and their length. Maybe helping make sure she gets the facts straight would be worth something?

[skymama1 0]

Yes, I think making sure ANY newer skydiver gets facts straight is helpful to that person and the sport as a whole. Several people have pointed that out, and I have thanked them graciously and made sure, since I cannot edit the former post, to clarify exactly what was correct (FAA vs. USPA) in another post later on.

I completely appreciate anyone correcting any typos, mistakes, or misconceptions (respectfully) that I (or others) have made or believe to be true, and believe I have accepted such correction with appreciation and not rudeness or defensive demeanor. We're all adults here, right? I am still learning as are we all right? I think we all have things to teach one another- in skydiving, but moreso in LIFE- bigger picture? Nothing like a fatality to put that in perspective either.

So once again, thank you for your willingness to mentor newer skydivers, and to set things straight when something incorrect is posted for whatever reason. I don't need to grovel and I am not going to say it again. But I do have genuine gratitude for those who are willing to share their knowledge and help others accumulate it so that accurate info gets spread and skydiving is made safer and better understood by all.

Dramazone- JOKE!
The only people I have heard refer to it that way have been long-time DZ.com members and experienced skydivers, and multiple times- I in no way meant it as an insult and I think that would have been clear.

If I felt this was not a helpful place I would not spend the time to post or read here-- BUT I also think people who don't know me don't understand that I think and thus type at a ridiculously fast speed, and a post that seems like it would take an average someone hours to write is often written very quickly for me, and sometimes while multi-tasking (I'm a mom- trust me I know multitasking.. ;)

Beyond that I see no need to respond further to any of the above posts or comments thrown my way or get defensive. I have no hard feelings towards anyone here but clearly do not appreciate people being rude for no reason. And I am slightly regretful now that this whole thing has taken over a thread that could have better addressed several important subjects, namely a parent's loss of a child to skydiving, safety in the sport in general, and/or legal ramifications of certain actions or discussions. My respects to Sierra's family and I apologize if I have contributed to taking this thread off of the more important topics relating to her accident and to the skydiving community.

So, again--- time for thread to die? Or back to our regularly scheduled programming??

I am done here- off to class, then helping with flyering for a community group meeting I am volunteering with, then a dinner get-together with an old friend, and a review session for an upcoming exam.

peace,
robyn

Tandem 4/4. FJC and AFF-2 completed 4/9. Rescheduled AFF-3 and 4 due to winds for this next weekend.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world..."

[regulator 0]

OH SNAP the IT guy just got burned....

But thanks for the tip...I'll remember that in the future!

[NovaTTT 1]

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I think making sure ANY newer skydiver gets facts straight is helpful to that person and the sport as a whole.

thank you for your willingness to mentor newer skydivers, and to set things straight when something incorrect is posted for whatever reason.

I am done here

peace,
robyn

All that needed to be said.

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[Andy9o8 0]

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time for thread to die?

Because you've killed it?