A woman died when the parasail she was riding in with two young boys struck a bridge in the Florida Keys after the boat captain cut their tether line, officials say.
Officials say that the accident happened in high winds, which caused the parasail to slam into the Old Seven Mile Bridge, near Marathon, Florida.
Supraja Alaparthi, 33, was parasailing with her son, Sriakshith Alaparthi, 10, and nephew, Vishant Sadda, 9, when the accident took place on Monday.
Alaparthi, from Schaumburg, Illinois, was killed and one of the boys was injured and airlifted to the hospital. The other boy received only minor injuries.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s incident report says that strong wind caused the parasail to “peg”, which means it was being controlled by gusts, not the captain.
“Under normal parasailing operations, it is the operation of the vessel, in particular the speed of the vessel, that creates the wind to lift the parasail into the air. The operator of the vessel controls the height of the parasail by increasing or decreasing the speed of the vessel. This enables the parasail operator to safely conduct and control parasailing operations,” the agency said in its report.
The report adds that the captain, Daniel Couch, “cut the line tethered to three victims.”
John Callion cut the line on the parasail and helped free the woman and the two boys from their harnesses and pull them onto his boat. He detailed the accident on Facebook.
“At around 5.30 pm I notice a parasail boat parasailing into a storm,” he wrote.
“It went from flat calm conditions to blowing 30 mph in a matter of seconds. I knew right away the outcome was going to be bad. Sure enough the line connected to the parasail broke.
“As I continued to watch, it was very obvious the parasail boat needed help as they were chasing down the parasail with 3 people connected to it. The parasail was heading for the 7mile bridge at a high rate of speed. They probably traveled a distance between 1-2 miles. At first and from a distance, the bridge seemed to be a saving grace to stop the parasail from traveling any further.
“Unfortunately the victims made contact with the wing wall section of the bridge and it was at a high rate of speed. I was the first boat on the scene. Myself with my two passengers on board, I cut the harnesses to free each victim from the attached chute, which was hung up on the bridge.”
Officials say that there were between 10 and 12 family members on the scene when the woman was pronounced dead and the accident remains under investigation by the FWC and the US Coast Guard.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the deceased during this time,” said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
