ORANGE COUNTY, MA- Wwlp.com reports that a woman who died in a parachuting accident on Saturday has been identified as Alexis Zayas, 27, from Long Island. The woman was severely injured when she slammed into a barn after veering off course. Zayas was transported to Athol Memorial Hospital and then transferred to UMass Memorial Medical […]
ORANGE COUNTY, MA- Wwlp.com reports that a woman who died in a parachuting accident on Saturday has been identified as Alexis Zayas, 27, from Long Island. The woman was severely injured when she slammed into a barn after veering off course.
Zayas was transported to Athol Memorial Hospital and then transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center. She died on Monday from her injuries.
The accident is still under investigation.
Skydiving accidents are fairly rare, considering the sport’s reputation as a dangerous activity only for risk takers. Out of one million jumps, there are about eight fatalities. The sport has gotten safer over time. Between 2000 and 2013, there was a 25% decrease in the number of people killed when jumping out of a plane. And the sport has been increasing in popularity over the years as well.
Tandem jumps, which most new skydivers take, are believed to be even safer, with about .003 skydiving students dying out of every 1000 jumps.
The sport has seen stiffer safety regulations, which has probably contributed to the lowering of risks.
One study indicated that in Sweden, the risk of dying in a skydiving accident was about the same as the risk of a mother dying in childbirth. Of course, a skydiver might jump ten times in one day, and those who frequently jump therefore increase their risks of being in an accident.
The cause of death is often human error. In one out of three fatal skydiving accidents, the chute opened. Many accidents occur because of a parachutist losing control during free fall and starting to tumble out of control. While skydiving has increased in safety over the years, BASE jumping remains much more hazardous.
