A man died and a woman ended up hospitalized with a hip injury after the two collided while skydiving over Washington state.
On Saturday afternoon, a group of 11 took part in a jump organized by Skydive West Plains, based in Ritzville, Washington, 200 miles southeast of Seattle.
As they fell, jumpers Randy Hubbs and Nicole Klein collided, which knocked Mr. Hubbs out and left him “no longer in control of his parachute canopy,” the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
Skydive West Plains staff, watching the scene from a vantage point about 500 feet above ground level, saw Mr. Hubbs, 70, drift away from the group’s drop zone and disappear behind a hill.
“Mr. Hubbs appeared unresponsive, with his head and arms down,” the sheriff’s office said.
Ms. Klein, 52, sustained a hip injury, got treatment and is expected to recover. Skydive West Plains told Spokane’s KREM-TV that prior to Saturday’s skydive, Ms. Klein had done about 900 jumps and Mr. Hubbs 800.
“The Skydive West Plains community is mourning the loss of a friend who has been part of the dropzone family for nearly a decade. The team’s thoughts are also with the second jumper and her family as she recovers,” the company said, according to KREM.
