Witness Says Wind Was 'Blowing Skydivers Everywhere' After Fatal Jump in Ottawa

Video by Todd Sherman | Network Video Productions

Richard L. Gomez, 65, of Berwyn, was pronounced dead at the scene after witnesses said he had trouble deploying his parachute at SkyDive Chicago in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Fire Department responded to call of a “hard landing” around 9:57 a.m. Sunday at SkyDiving Chicago, 3215 E. 1969th Road.

Theresa Harkabas brought her 14-year-old daughter, Willow Starek, to watch the skydivers and check out the SkyDive Chicago facility. One of the skydivers got tangled up.

“They were blowing everywhere,” Harkabas said. “They were over the street, they were over the cornfields, they were over the buildings, some of them were twirling. It looks very scary.”

Starak said there was a restricted area where skydivers were supposed to land in the grass.

“They were landing all over by cars and in the street,” Starek said.

Despite Sunday’s tragic accident and death investigation, SkyDive Chicago continued sending jumpers into the air where they bailed out of the plane at 13,500 feet.

“I find it very odd that a fatality happens and they’re still jumping with high winds,” Harkabas said. “There’s been plane after plane after plane.”

While it is unclear whether Gomez had any prior skydiving experience, SkyDive Chicago’s website says people are not allowed to jump alone the first time. First and second-time jumpers are required to jump in tandem with an professional instructor, the company’s website said.

Federal law requires every jumper to be equipped with a main and a reserve parachute. In the event that a chute doesn’t open, SkyDive Chicago claims on its website that all of its equipment is equipped with an automated activation device, which automatically opens the reserve parachute should the jumpers be unable to do so.

The company offers lessons for beginning and experienced jumpers.

A death investigation into the skydiving accident is ongoing. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Freelance photojournalist Todd Sherman contributed to this report.