FAA investigating after 2 skydivers hurt after they became tangled in mid-air in East Troy
EAST TROY -- Two experienced skydivers were taken to the hospital Monday, August 1st after a mid-air collision in East Troy.
The skydivers, a 32-year-old man from Scottsdale, Arizona and a 28-year-old man from Waukesha sustained numerous injuries in the incident.
The Arizona man was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The Waukesha man was taken to the hospital via Flight for Life.
Both men are expected to survive. Both were out of surgery Tuesday and doing well. The Waukesha man is in the ICU recovering from a neck fracture and two broken ribs. The Arizona man is recovering from a broken pelvis and a foot injury.
The call for this incident came in shortly before 5:00 p.m.
East Troy police say the men were jumping under their own supervision from the same plane -- with "Skyknights Sport Parachute Club"/Skydive Milwaukee on County Highway L in East Troy.
Skydiving accident in East Troy
Todd Zimmerman
"I'm concerned and hoping for the best for our two jumpers," Todd Zimmerman with Skydive Milwaukee said.
They apparently became tangled after their parachutes opened.
The United States Parachute Association -- an organization that sets safety recommendations for skydiving across the country is looking into what went wrong, leading to this incident. A spokeswoman told FOX6 News it is rare for two skydivers to collide.
East Troy Municipal Airport
"One might be above or below or behind and they're flying in a direction that conflicts with the other person for whatever reason. Once the skydiver opens his parachute, it`s very controllable. So we basically just navigate our parachutes to the landing area," Nancy Koreen with the United States Parachute Association said.
The FAA is investigating. Investigators are looking into the packing of the parachute, the packing of the reserve parachute and the rules of flight for the pilot and the aircraft -- such as whether the pilot was properly licensed and whether the plane was properly maintained.
