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A professional skydiver was killed while training for the U.S. Parachute Association National Championships. The 36-year-old crashed into a pond next to the Skydive Midwest skydiving center near Sturtevant, Wisconsin, on Sunday (August 28). Officials have not released his name pending notification of his family.
Other skydivers who witnessed the accident rushed over to help and pulled the unconscious man from the pond. Unfortunately, paramedics could not save the man, and he was pronounced dead.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office said it appears that the skydiver took the wrong angle during his descent, which caused him to have a hard landing in the pond.
"It appears the victim was descending at the wrong angle for the practice run, resulting in the pond landing," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Fellow skydivers who also witnessed the event in its entirety stated his parachute was deployed, and he showed no signs of distress before, during, or immediately before landing. The other professional skydivers that witnessed the event believe he misjudged his angle of decent, which caused a 'hard landing' into the water."
The U.S. Parachute Association National Championships is scheduled to begin this Saturday (September 3). The organization has not commented on the tragedy.