Skydiving instructor dies, trainee injured in what appears to be "tragic accident"
SLIDELL, La. -- A Louisiana skydiving instructor died Sunday, and his trainee was injured, after he lost consciousness during a skydiving jump.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office says the instructor and trainee were performing a tandem jump on the Royal Golf Course in Slidell, Louisiana, shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday when the instructor lost consciousness after leaving the airplane. The reserve parachute opened after the main parachute belonging to the instructor did not.
Witnesses say both skydivers hit the ground hard.
The male instructor was pronounced dead at the scene, and the trainee was airlifted to a New Orleans-area hospital.
Police say the incident is still under investigation.
"We still aren't one-hundred percent sure exactly what happened, but so far, it appears to be a tragic accident," said Sheriff Randy Smith, CBS affiliate WWL reports. "Our prayers go out to the families affected by this incident."
