Skydiver killed after landing on roof in California
Witnesses on ground say man appeared to be unconscious, emergency parachute deployed moments before crashing.
A skydiver plummeted to his death Monday after making a hard landing on a California home’s roof, just seconds after his emergency parachute deployed, officials and witnesses said.
The unidentified skydiver smashed into the roof in Perris just before 3 p.m., KTLA reported. Ali Muhassen, who witnessed the fall, said he initially thought the skydiver was going to land in his backyard before the man hit a neighbor’s roof.
"I guess his emergency chute deployed, and it kind of picked him up a little bit and it took him to the house behind us," Muhassen told the news station.
He recalled seeing “no movement at all” after the hard landing.
“His head was down, neck down, arms just flailing around," Muhassen said.
Another witness told KTLA the skydiver’s parachute never deployed.
Christina Blanco, who was inside the home when the skydiver crashed onto the roof, told KABC she was in “complete shock.”
She added, "I was like, no, this can't be happening...and then it took so long for us to find out if he was okay or not, just waiting. My heart just dropped when they were like, 'No, he's not OK.'"
Paramedics arrived at the home and pronounced the man dead. Riverside County Fire Department said it’s conducting an investigation.
Perris, located about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, is a popular skydiving area with Perris Valley Airport nearby. At least 20 people have died in skydiving-related incidents at the facility since 2000, according to The Press-Enterprise.
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