Number 9 Katie Malone
For her 29th birthday, San Diego woman Katie Malone went parasailing in Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico. At some point during the ride, the rope connecting her to the boat broke and she flew,
untethered, for 45 minutes. Malone eventually crashed into a local airport building,
sustaining severe injuries. The woman was left with four fractured ribs, a collapsed lung,
fractures to her skull and pelvis as well as a broken jaw and cheek bone. Her pituitary gland had
increased in size tenfold and, after being treated at a local hospital, she was airlifted to her home
state for further surgery. Over a dozen screws were required to re-set her bones and a titanium
mesh was implanted in her skull. Fortunately, Malone would eventually make a full recovery.
Number 8 Glenn Hudson
In 2010, Glenn Hudson and his daughter, Emma, were on a tandem parasailing ride in Turkey.
They’d been flying for about 10 minutes and Glenn was telling his daughter about his
past parasailing experiences. Moments later, the 50-year-old's harness suddenly snapped.
He suffered a fatal, 150-foot fall onto the beach below. To put that drop into perspective,
it would be like falling from the top of the Arc du Triumph, in Paris.
Glenn died upon impact. The owner of the company and the boat’s driver were subsequently jailed
for criminal negligence. What Is It?
Parasailing is a recreational activity in which a person is attached to a parachute-like canopy
and towed by a boat, a car or a 4x4 truck. A tow rope connects the parasail pilot to the
vehicle and, as it drives off, they’re lifted into the air at considerable heights. While
somewhat similar to a parachute, the parasail is more stable and better suited for the ascent.
The pilot has minimal or no control over steering. Parasailing is fundamentally a recreational ride
whereas parachutes are used in skydiving and enable the pilot to fully control steering.
It’s also different from paragliding, where pilots adjust their wing in accordance with
sources of lift. Parasailing can involve a single rider, a tandem ride or three people,
depending on weight restrictions, the size of the canopy and the power of the boat. If the
instructions are respected and safety standards are met, parasailing can be a thrilling activity.
However, a number of accidents have occurred and some have had fatal outcomes.
Number 7 Roger Hussey In 2017, as he was visiting Kata Beach,
in Phuket, Thailand, Roger Hussey decided to try out parasailing. Shortly after taking off, the
71-year-old Australian man accidentally unbuckled his harness and fell into the shallow water below.
Hussey waved his arms, as he rose, but, when he placed them back on the harness,
it’s believed that he squeezed the release clips. The fall happened before dozens of horrified
onlookers, including Hussey’s Thai-born wife, who was filming him from the beach. The 100-foot drop
was fatal. The parasailing company admitted to operating the boat without a technician on board,
which is illegal. In the accident‘s aftermath, shocking footage emerged of the operator’s staff
engaged in dangerous behavior. They rode the rigging’s worn straps, alongside tourists,
while barefooted and wearing no safety equipment whatsoever.
Number 6 Sidney Good & Alexis Fairchild In July of 2013, Sidney Good & Alexis Fairchild
went on a parasailing ride, while vacationing in Panama City, Florida. The girls, both 17 at the
time, were caught in strong winds as they reached roughly 1,000 feet, a height comparable to that of
the Eiffel Tower. Then the tow rope snapped and the Indiana teenagers drifted helplessly through
the air. They crashed into the 13th floor of a condominium before falling to the parking lot
below and landing on parked cars. They were taken to a hospital, in critical condition.
Both had suffered multiple fractures as well as severe head and spine injuries that
required titanium plates and screws to mend. Good suffered permanent damage to her vision
that would prevent her from ever driving again. The brain damage they’d sustained caused them to
read at a grade school level. Still, the teens made a surprising recovery and even walked on
stage for their high school graduation. Where Is It Located?
The origins of parasailing can be traced back to the 1960s and it began as a training exercise for
parachutists. It enabled them to practice their landings, as they would be jumping from a plane,
only considerably cheaper since they were being towed. The ascending gliding parachute was
trade marked as the “parasail”, in 1963, by the Pioneer Parachute Company. From that point on,
the canopy continued to be improved and a retractable hydraulic winch was added to retrieve
the parasail and its pilot. Nowadays, parasailing operators can be found anywhere in the world but
they tend to be more common in areas that provide stunning aerial views of natural landscapes.
Some of the most popular parasailing destinations include the coastal areas of the Maldives,
Fiji, California, the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. In Europe, land parasailing has
developed into a competitive sport where the driver of a 4x4 releases the line and the
pilot flies down to a target area. Number 5 Anthony & Grace Nesbit
20-year-old Anthony Nesbit and his younger sister, Grace, narrowly escaped with their lives
after a parasailing accident in Malta. They were caught in a freak storm that snapped the tow rope
attached to their boat. The watercraft itself was battered by strong waves and pushed dangerously
close to the shore. The siblings tried not to panic as the winds swept them inland.
Anthony told his sister that they should use their feet to break the fall. After they landed,
the parasail dragged them for several feet but, as they slowed down, people intervened and detached
them from the canopy. Amazingly, they survived their ordeal with only some cuts and bruises.
Number 4 Nicholas Hayward In July of 2020,
Nicholas Hayward and his girlfriend, Azalea Silva, were involved in a brutal parasailing accident,
in Florida’s Key West. It’s been reported that the boat’s captain had a “cowboy attitude” and
took the couple out, in spite of harsh weather. According to other passengers on the boat,
he ignored their screams to slow down as waves battered the watercraft. The winds were estimated
at 34 mph and Florida laws prohibit parasailing if they’re over 25 mph. The tandem parasail managed
to rise but was then violently thrown to the water by a powerful gust of wind. 36-year-old Hayward
was pronounced dead at the scene while Silva, who was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition,
survived. A lawsuit against the parasailing operator was subsequently filed on behalf of
Hayward’s 10-year-old son and his mother. How Will It Kill You?
A significant number of parasailing-related deaths have occurred as the result of unplanned landings
in water, during unfavorable weather conditions. In such cases, the riders drowned as they were not
able to get out of their safety harness. In others cases, the parasail was caught in strong winds
and caused the riders to collide with rocks and other structures.
Another potentially fatal occurrence is failure of the tow rope or of the safety harness. They
can cause the rider to plummet from heights of several hundred feet. Hitting the water as a
result of such a drop is comparable to falling on concrete. That’s because the water can’t be
displaced fast enough to cushion the fall. Such an impact may result in multiple fractures and
fatal damage to internal organs. Some parasailing operators take riders up to 1,000 feet or more.
A safety harness failure at this height would cause the rider to free fall at speeds in
excess of 100 mph. Striking the water under these conditions completely dismantles the human body.
Number 3 Margaret Beaman & Lisa Smith In October of 2008, friends Margaret Beaman & Lisa
Smith were celebrating a birthday in Riviera Maya, south of the Mexican resort town of Cancun.
The women decided to take part in a parasailing experience. Unfortunately, while they were high
in the air, the rope connecting the rigging to the boat snapped. Winds pushed the canopy into
the water, in a rocky area. It then caught air again and finally became trapped in a palm tree.
Beaman & Smith succumbed to severe head and body trauma. The blame for the accident rested
with the boat’s captain as the area had been closed off to navigation, due to harsh weather.
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on Instagram and reach out to us there. Number 2 Kathleen Miskell
In August of 2012, a worn-out parasailing harness caused 28-year-old Kathleen Miskell
to suffer a fatal fall. The incident happened off Florida’s Pompano Beach. At the time, Miskell was
strapped into a tandem ride with her husband, Stephen. When the harness failure occurred,
the man could do nothing but watch helplessly as Kathleen free fell roughly 200 feet.
She was later found floating face down in the water. Rescuers attempted CPR but it was already
too late. According to a coroner’s report, the woman had suffered massive blunt force trauma
and cardiac arrest. How to Survive?
While it has grown in popularity in the past decades, parasailing has been criticized for being
poorly regulated. Safety concerns include operators who carry out parasailing experiences,
in spite of hazardous weather, compromised tow ropes and poorly maintained safety equipment.
This is why it’s crucial to select a professional operator with a good safety record. Follow their
instructions, as tampering with the equipment, while at height, may have fatal consequences.
If the rope breaks, there’s little you can do to steer the parasail but, baring strong winds,
it will descend like a regular parachute. Make sure to break your fall with your feet,
as you hit land, and disconnect the harness. Professional operators will keep a considerable
distance from the shore which means that you’re likely to land in water. If this happens,
keep calm and trust the life jacket to keep you afloat. Move slowly and deliberately so
as to avoid getting tangled in the canopy. In the event of harness failure, safety is relative to
the height at which failure occurs and the depth of the water below. To minimize damage, the proper
form should involve falling perpendicularly, feet first, with the arms and elbows tucked in.
Number 1 Mark Mitrofanov While vacationing in Turkey’s Antalya resort,
18-year-old Mark Mitrofanov lost his life in a parasail ride gone wrong.
The Russian teenager was on a tandem canopy with his mother, Tatiana, when the towing cable broke,
roughly 200 feet above sea level. Winds carried the canopy inland and, consequently,
the mother and son crashed into the grounds of a beach side hotel, striking a palm tree. Tatiana
survived the collision with a blackened eye and cuts on her face. Mark’s injuries, however, were
far more severe. The teenager sustained severe head trauma and he died on the operating table.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather go parasailing with an operator that has
a bad safety record or jump out of a car going 50 mph? Let us know in the comments section below!