Aussie Man Falls To Death From Parasail On Phuket Beach

[Mark mark]

It probably would just be like a Standard Parachute Harness, and No Thai Conspiracy / Negligence about it, except Possibly Lack of Training before he went up and ??? And …  Langkawi ? Everywhere would be the same I would imagine. ...

 

I did 16 Jumps ... before the stress of it, jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft got too much for me. ...

 

There probably was the Handles to cut away, e.g. dump the whole connection with the Parachute and the tow !!! … Like VERY useful if you crash in to the sea while still attached, as you can cut away, and not be towed under or along the beach, to your Death.

 

I guess that they may have added to these Cutaway handles ??? ... To make them easier to access ???  ….  Like being tower along the ground or under the water would be the Biggest danger in it I would think ...

 

But well, I do not know how they would have it rigged, but well the guy should have been trained .... NOT TO CUT away while in the Air !!! … And well yes, if they have extended the Cut away handles …. Well there could be some debate about it ... though as I say, this emergency procedure of cutting away, is probably the answer, to what is probably by far the Biggest Danger. ... Being towed in to the water, or along the beach, if you come down prematurely, … Not what probably happened to this poor gent, which is a One off so to speak ??? … Well, let’s hope so any way.

[SpeakeasyThai]

Sad, yet stupid. 

[jenifer d]

47 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

Yes, I agree...the Thai outrider may have well been a contributing or major cause of the incident. I would never go aloft with anyone positioned like that.  

actually, the outrider is ostensibly there for control and safety; this tragic accident appears to be improper securing of all harnesses and straps- with proper setup, there should not have been an easy way for him to disengage in this fashion

[free123]

ehere we can see the video ???

[jenifer d]

1 hour ago, thesetat2013 said:

clearly the crew is not at fault and will be released later without bail and no charges. The police will conclude ywt another foreigner deliberately used the parasailingas a method for suicide and we won't hear anymore about it. 

Seriously though! I have never parasailed but i didn't know they would have a quick release so easily accessible while in the air... 

Csn any experts put forth their kkowledge on this to clarify? 

 

 

although certainly no expert. i've gone up several times in Patong and also in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico;

to my knowledge there is nothing that would allow quick release in that fashion without also undoing leg straps         and harness... this appears to be a case of not having the lower leg straps and harness secured properly

[White Christmas13]

8 minutes ago, free123 said:

ehere we can see the video ???

http://www.news.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5504794655001/aussie-plunges-to-death-in-thailand-parasailing-accident

[flyingdoc]

Tragic.  R.I.P.

[novo58]

Havent read all the comments ...but at least in the ones I have read no one has suggested this is anything more than an accident.

 

Thank god the TVF detective agency hasnt decided to further investigate this one.

[buick]

RIP for this man.  i hope his wife and family can recover from this tragedy at some point.

 

i grew up in the pool/ocean.  a 10M jump was scary for some people, they wouldn't do it.  turned around and went back down.  from what i've read on the net, the world record high dive is roughly 55M.  and several people that managed more than 50M were seriously injured during the attempt.

 

that said, some people have lived after jumping off the golden gate bridge in san francisco (which is about 70M above the water).  of course the water is plenty deep there so no risk of hitting bottom should you survive the initial breach into the water. 

 

edit:  i know he fell and didn't jump.

Edited July 13, 2017 by buick

[ddavidovsky]

Never tried this, for this reason: what happens if you're up there and the boat engine fails? How long have you got before you plummet?

[ben2talk]

17 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

They have a strap you can pull to drop to your death? What could go wrong?

Sympathies to the relatives, this shouldn't happen.

It's obviously going to have straps that can release it, but they will all have failsafe straps and loops attached to make sure you can't release it unintentionally without an extra deliberate action...

 

Looks to me like some amateurs are doing the rentals, and they're going to be in some deep trouble once it gets out.

[ben2talk]

Just now, ddavidovsky said:

Never tried this, for this reason: what happens if you're up there and the boat engine fails? How long have you got before you plummet?

You already have a parachute - did you miss that part?

[ddavidovsky]

1 minute ago, ben2talk said:

You already have a parachute - did you miss that part?

It's not a proper parachute though is it? - I would assume that would have too much drag. And even coming down with a proper parachute can be traumatic enough. So what actually happens? You come down rather swiftly from a great height, into the sea, with a heavy fabric smothering you and trapped in a harness that prevents you swimming...? Hmmm...

[Mad mick]

16 hours ago, mickyboy said:

and there be another one ready to be taken up in the air withinn the hour

criky really ! that's  poor form amazing thailand. 

RIP

[NamKangMan]

16 hours ago, mickyboy said:

and there be another one ready to be taken up in the air withinn the hour

 

And the two guys in the photo were back to work within half an hour. 

[b2bme]

17 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

Is there not any age.limit on these potential death traps. In one way I admire the adventure of the 70 year old. Is it wise ... no

I half agree with you that there should be some parameters on state of health and fitness when participating in high risk activities. I have worked in an offshore environment though where the occasional 70 year old turned up and shamed many a younger guy with the level of his fitness. I suppose another example is Sylvester Stallone who is 71 years. He still looks reasonably fit.

Tragic end to someone who was still feeling youthful in life. I base this on the fact of what he was doing.  

I struggle to believe that there was no neglegence involved in this incidence. I hope (wishful) that a proper investigation is carried out. 

Condolences to the family. 

[ben2talk]

6 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

It's not a proper parachute though is it? - I would assume that would have too much drag. And even coming down with a proper parachute can be traumatic enough. So what actually happens? You come down rather swiftly from a great height, into the sea, with a heavy fabric smothering you and trapped in a harness that prevents you swimming...? Hmmm...

Right, dangers are 1. Weak Harness (maybe just badly applied) giving rise to a risk of slipping out/falling 2. Windy conditions 3. Engine trouble and 4. water landing. Not so much 'plummeting' on engine failure.

 

Certainly a bit scared of the idea of suffering blunt force trauma hitting the water and then drowning - I'm sure that there's a great deal of training for parachutists involving water landings. Certainly in a western country you'd probably get a very long answer if you asked about safety and regulations - qualifications of everyone involved.

 

I've had safety training involving being dropped into cold water fully clothed inside a metal box. It can get every bit as scary as your imagination will tell you...

[David Walden]

2 hours ago, Penicillin said:

You are not old. Your in good shape and the number associated with your age (in your case especially) is not indicative of an elder.  Those of us that never quit life at the gym, sea or 25 / 50m lap pool, will (with a bit of luck) undoubtedly continue to make our lives an adventure. 

It's all between a rock and a hard place as they say.  I'm 75 y/o and and with a bit of investigation before engaging in this type of adventure I'd most likely do the same.  One should remember to have a good look at the gear and operators first, but remember "if you want to live a FULL  live dangerously".   Snow skiing is far more dangerous.  In Australia in the few ski slopes we have anything up to 5 ambulances  waiting at the bottom of the slopes (Thredbo) to take injured and sometimes dead  patients the 70km distance to the Como Hospital, all day every day.  This is similar all over the world...RIP.

Edited July 13, 2017 by David Walden

[farcanell]

16 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Too bad the focus has been on the beach chairs and umbrella's and not the jet skis and the parachutes, money talks I suppose

You nailed it!

and will this cause a change of focus?

i doubt it, unfortunately.

[minikev]

We will only know what or who to blame if he still had his harness fitted tightly to his body when they pulled him from the sea. If so then somehow the chute was released from the harness. At about 2.20 ish one of the men on the beach was waving his arms as if he could see something wrong already, it was too late by then and he was ascending too fast.

It's hard to tell if the front straps went through the tops of his legs to the bum strap it looks like they weren't but the ends of the front straps don't appear to have any fastening device.

Very sad to see a life end in such a way specially as it looks like it was probably completely avoidable. 

I wonder what training and experience the men that fit the chutes and safety gear have!

[sawadee1947]

When I read the head line I knew already that it was the foreigner's fault. Thais provide everything for safety and only stupid farangs cannot follow their instructions. To be honest I never would go in this country for Zip line or para-sailing or-chuting or bus ride. I love my life

[Ulic]

I have only been parasailing once years ago in Mexico. At that time the harness did

have a quick release to the tow line not the parasail. Years later I took up paragliding.

Not a safe sport, but a sport you make safe by good decisions. And yes I have had

friends die. When I watch this it appears to me the leg/crotch harness is not done up.

He looks to have too much freedom of movement in his groin/legs as he runs to get

airborne as the boat accelerates. When you harness up for paragliding there is a checklist

you do follow to ensure you are clipped/strapped in correctly. Paragliders have died when

they have launched forgetting to properly connect there leg straps. As your wing launches

you can only hang on for a finite amount of time. Shorter when you are 70. That is the way

it looks to me. The ground crew simply did not strap him in properly. His chest strap

and hands on the risers gave him some stability at takeoff and that is why he did not fall

out immediately. Just my thought. RIP and condolences to family and friends. He looked

in great shape. Fit and smiling.  

[Eloquent pilgrim]

7 hours ago, steven100 said:

yes ....  but that strap is only for the suiciders ...   not for general use  ...

inappropriate, insensitive  and completely unnecessary comment 

[Mises]

Post 69 nailed it. The poor guy put his elbows over the straps so as he went up the harness straps were under his armpits, this would have been very painful to say the least. As pointed out above the guys on the ground saw this and shouted with one waving his arms.

 

The Thai operator climbs up on the straps and appears to reach around the front of the harness. He either released the chest strap somehow or it broke under the strain it was not designed to carry. The guy then seems to raise his arms and falls straight down albeit briefly held by the Thai operator.

 

What I can't work out is how he then seemed to fall feet first, how did the crotch strap fail? He does not seem to fall out of it by tipping.

 

Whatever, the operators know the exact sequence of events.

[stevenl]

55 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

When I read the head line I knew already that it was the foreigner's fault. Thais provide everything for safety and only stupid farangs cannot follow their instructions. To be honest I never would go in this country for Zip line or para-sailing or-chuting or bus ride. I love my life

With the Thai guys charged, your comment makes no sense at all.

[Destiny1990]

Well surely the Parasailing guy his company  will have full insurance and cover all the cost for sending the body back to Australia.

[farcanell]

Thanks foreman at post 77.... a good reply.

 

i would like to see a picture of the harness used, post fall, as I firmly believe that this was a harness failure issue, vs any BS about the deceased in some way causing his own death.

 

the harness appears to be an old (worn!!!) style skydive tandem harness.... with no provision to "cut away" from the parasail system. 

 

The harness does appear to have to have been fitted correctly.... Leg strap snaps on and firm ( backturned straps to prevent leg straps "undoing" are intact).... chest strap snap in place... the guy fitting the harness is adjusting a back strap of some kind... ( fitting a life jacket over these snaps is a bit stupid, though... as this interferes with access to snaps in the event of a water landing)

 

the only way to fall out of one of these harnesses is backwards ( it's happened before... hence backstraps as fore man described), but the video does not show this happening... the deceased would have folded in half, butt down, arms and legs going upwards, then he would have hung upside down whilst sliding thru his leg straps

 

instead the video shows the deceased swinging to the right, flailing a bit, then swinging back, before falling..... this leads me to suspect that a left hand side strap failed, with the swing overloading the right hand side, which then also failed.

 

if the deceased was still in the harness, then it was a shoulder strap failure, if no harness, then a leg strap failure ( I suspect the later, given some odd leg movements during the separation)

 

as to the number one rule... inspect your equipment.... unfortunately this only applies if you know how to inspect your equipment, and punters don't know how, and rarely even look, trusting their "instructor" to do this (comments based on twenty years of jump instruction experience)

[jobwolf]

What a lot of PS. He should never be able to reach the hook to come loose. this is for somebody else to do when he has landed. This is negligence.

 

[farcanell]

8 hours ago, johnefallis said:

Bullshit. There's nothing to steer. Most (probably all) parasails are static. No steering. You might be able to pull on the risers, if it has any,

But it really isn't necessary. When the boat stops you settle gently into the water. That idiot in the rigging is prima facia evidence of both negligence and stupidity. 

Actually.... there is now a recognized competitive sport, where a parasailer releases his tow line, and guides / steers his parachute to land, in an "accuracy landing competition"

Edited July 13, 2017 by farcanell

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Yes it's always safety first here! People falling of ziplines, bungie chords breaking. Imagine my shock when I read this.  RIP mate.