Sgt. 1st Class Corey Hood of
Cincinnati, Ohio, who had recently turned 32, was pronounced dead
Sunday afternoon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said
Mario Johnson, a Cook County medical examiner's investigator.
Hood
had logged more than 200 free fall jumps and 75 military static line
jumps during his career, according to his Army biography.
The
Army Golden Knights and Navy Leap Frogs parachute teams were performing
what is known as a "bomb burst" Saturday when the collision occurred,
Golden Knights spokeswoman Donna Dixon said. During the stunt,
parachutists fall with red smoke trailing from packs and then separate,
creating a colorful visual in the sky.
Dixon said Hood collided with a member of the Navy's precision skydiving team.
Hood was knocked unconscious, "which resulted in an uncontrolled offsite landing," Dixon said in a statement.
Spectator
Heather Mendenhall told the Chicago Tribune on Saturday that she was
watching the show from a rooftop and saw Hood strike the roof of a
high-rise building next door with his feet and then fall - his parachute
trailing behind him.
"His legs caught the tip of the roof, and then he fell over. It was horrible," she told the newspaper.
The
other parachutist, who has not been identified, landed on North Avenue
Beach near the main viewing area for the show, Fire Department spokesman
Juan Hernandez said Saturday. He was treated for a broken leg.
The accident is under investigation, the Army said. The team did not perform again on Sunday.
"The
Knights are a very close knit team and the military skydiving community
is equally close; we will support Corey's family and each other during
this difficult time," Col. Matthew Weinrich, commander of the U.S. Army
Parachute Team, said in a statement.
Hood
served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and had earned
numerous awards, including two Bronze Stars. He is survived by his wife,
Lyndsay.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called
Hood "an American hero," saying in a statement late Sunday, "He defended
our freedom, he amazed so many as a member of the Golden Knights, and
he will be missed."
Specialists such as the
Army and Navy jumpers can reach speeds of up to 180 mph during freefall
by pulling their arms to their sides. They typically open their
parachutes at around 5,000 feet, joining their canopies together in
formation and setting off smoke grenades to send red smoke trailing
behind them.
The annual two-day air show draws
millions of people to Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline. Headliners
included the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
No comments:
Post a Comment