Adventure Center Skydiving in Hollister released a statement today regarding the accident that occurred on Saturday that resulted in the death of Tulare Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer McCoun.
After the accident, McCoun, 40, was in stable condition prior to being airlifted to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center but died later that day.
The statement reads as follows:
"First and foremost we would like to express our deep and sincere condolences to the family of the jumper. The skydiving family is a tight knit one and while the loss of any jumper is a tragedy, it is made so much more difficult by her friendship with all of us here.
When accidents like these happen an investigation takes place and involves the FAA, the United States Parachutist Association, as well as local Dropzone staff to ensure everything is done to find the cause of the accident both to give closure to the family as well to learn from the mistakes made to avoid such tragedies in the future. While we can't get into specifics, there is some information that we can provide as to the nature of the accident.
The jumper was seen under a fully deployed primary parachute, flying in a tight, descending turn for several thousand feet. A turn such as this can be the result of a parachute malfunction or an intended maneuver. The turn was continued past a safe altitude and resulted in a hard, uncontrolled landing. Immediately after landing she was attended to by trained medical personnel who happened to be jumping on the same flight. She was airlifted from the scene within minutes of her landing.
Occurrences such as this have proven procedures in place that make the sport as safe as it is.
We are currently investigating the matter and will release details as they become available. Any details that are withheld are done so out of respect for the jumper and her family."
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