York, Canada incident

[FliegendeWolf 0]

I was about to post something in the Incidents forum, but then Sangiro's posting guidelines appeared at the top and reminded me to take it elsewhere. Thanks, HH!

I wanted to comment about the article concerning the incident in York, Canada, which Quade posted here.

The article states

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Although a risky sport, serious skydiving accidents are uncommon.

While it is nice to see an article about a skydiving incident not succumb to sensationalism, I wonder if this isn't erring a bit too much on the other side. I don't think I'd claim that serious skydiving accidents are uncommon.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[andy2 0]

I think it depends on what you call common. I've been skydiving for 3 months, probably seen hundreds of people land so far, in that short an amount of time, and not yet have I seen an injury. Now most people with any amount of experience, say a year or more, have seen an injury. Depends on your perspective, I guess.

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let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[quade 3]

It also depends on WHERE you do your jumping.

A person at a small single Cessna dz can go a long time without seeing a serious injury. Unfortunately, at larger drop zones with a higher number of people jumping, it can be an almost weekly occurrence.

For instance -- and this is really sad to say and I don't like making awful predictions like this but I think you'll find I'm right -- I can almost say with some amount of certainty that there will be a serious life altering injury if not fatality at a very large boogie in Illinois held between the 1st and 10th of August this year.

Proffessor Trelawney isn't at work here making crazy predictions-- simply the history of the sport repeating itself.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[AggieDave 6]

Its not just the simple history of the sport, its also playing the numbers game. The number of jumpers + number of jumps + lack of sleep + partying at night + a party attitude during the day + the fun vibe of a kickass boogie + other things I'm leaving out = a reciepe for injury.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[flyer299 0]

Although I am sure you guys are right... It should would be nice if that perdiction doesn't become reality....

[mnischalke 0]

What struck me was this:

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It is not known why he blacked out, but police have seized the parachute and harness for examination.

I wonder what reasons the canadian police had for this type of action. I'd bet a hundred bux that container comes back in pieces i.e. reserve popped, main cutaway, cypress reinstalled improperly. Kinda like tossing a radio into a monkey cage at the zoo. Just fascinating until they break it!

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[GroundZero 0]

Bad mojo to do that Quade...

Thought you'd been around a bit longer to know better...

Chris

[chuteless 1]

That same dropzone had a fatality last summer. Perhaps the police are investigating to see if carlessness or negligence has anything to do with repeat incidents.

[riggerrob 558]

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What struck me was this:

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It is not known why he blacked out, but police have seized the parachute and harness for examination.

I wonder what reasons the canadian police had for this type of action. I'd bet a hundred bux that container comes back in pieces i.e. reserve popped, main cutaway, cypress reinstalled improperly. Kinda like tossing a radio into a monkey cage at the zoo. Just fascinating until they break it!

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Please stop speculating on things you do not understand.

Canadian cops do not mess up evidence/parachutes.

Seizing evidence is standard procedure any time there is serious injury or death.

I have dealt with Canadian police on two occaisions after accidents. Both times they were thoroughly professional and avoided messing up evidence.
The first time I had to retrieve a parachute from the Halifax Police Station because the owner was in hospital. The lines had the same nasty twists as it had when it landed, er, buddy bounced off the roof of a building. The only damage to his harness was where the ambulance attendant had cut it off of him - in their rush to get him to hospital.
The second time I dealt with Canadian police and parachutes, an RCMP Master Sargent carried a boxed parachute into my loft. He apoligized profusely for the mess the main was in, but we agreed that - given the accident scenario - the beat cop's first responsibility had been rushing the wounded to the hospital.
The RCMP Sargent took notes while I inspected the parachute.
The only damage to the rig was where ambulance attendants cut the harness off the injured jumper - again in their haste in getting the wounded to hospital. Since the deceased never touched the reserve ripcord, we left that closed. His professionalism made an unpleasant task bearable.

Oh, and I will take your hundred bux now.

[quade 3]

Chris --

First let me say that I was not trying to suggest that this particular event should be singled out as being any less safe than any other event. In fact, they seem to do a pretty good job of things all things considered. I could have just as easily used any one of a number of places or events as examples.

What I was trying to show was that, unfortunately, accidents in this sport do happen. If you jump at a small single Cessna drop zone you could go through your entire jumping career and not see one, but at a very highly attended drop zone they actually are not uncommon.

I apologize if I gave the impression that this particular event was not being run up to snuff, but the facts remain that with that number of jumps going on, something bad will almost certainly happen to someone over the course of it. The specificity of the comment was to show how common and, unfortunately, predictable certain things are.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Iflyme 0]

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I wonder what reasons the canadian police had for this type of action.

Same reason as police anywhere else would -- part of an investigation.

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I'd bet a hundred bux that container comes back in pieces i.e. reserve popped, main cutaway, cypress reinstalled improperly

Is this what police in the USA do?

[mikeat10500 9]

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The first time I had to retrieve a parachute from the Halifax Police Station because the owner was in hospital. The lines had the same nasty twists as it had when it landed, er, buddy bounced off the roof of a building.

You were there when Tuna bounced? I had herd that later he said he did not actually hit the roof...but when found in the back yard all he could say was....roof,roof,roof. So it was assumed at the time the roof broke his fall.

-----------------------------------
Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1
Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists.

[riggerrob 558]

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The first time I had to retrieve a parachute from the Halifax Police Station because the owner was in hospital. The lines had the same nasty twists as it had when it landed, er, buddy bounced off the roof of a building.

You were there when Tuna bounced? I had herd that later he said he did not actually hit the roof...but when found in the back yard all he could say was....roof,roof,roof. So it was assumed at the time the roof broke his fall.

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I was in freefall when Tuna's main entangled with the lanyard tied to his smoke cannister. I also remember seeing an "odd" canopy opening, then deciding that since there was nothing more I could do, I might as well deploy my own parachute. I completely blanked out that odd piece of information until after landing, when Luke called us together to compare evidence.
Most accounts had Tuna bouncing off the sloped roof of a garage, then landing on damp grass. Most people believe that the only reason Tuna survived was that the grass was soft after several days of rain.

[mikeat10500 9]

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when Luke called us together to compare evidence.

Luke Lucas taught me my first jump course just over ten years ago. I have not seen him in a couple of years. I assume he was the DZO in Waterville back then(25 years ago). I have jumped a bit with Richard Wellman over the years and he often told a story of him and Tuna(after the hill jump) doing unplanned low altitude CRW into power lines at the Bridgewater Exhibition demos.

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Most people believe that the only reason Tuna survived was that the grass was soft after several days of rain.

This is a major advantage at our DZ....the ground is often soft! I've seen hook turns that ended in a 2 foot bounce and the guys get up and walk(limp) away alive.

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Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1
Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists.