Skydiver Lands Fatally

A veteran skydiver has been killed after his parachute failed to open during a jump in the Houston area.

Officials with Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, identified the skydiver as Miguel Carrasco, age 36. Carrasco had over a decade of skydiving experience. According to the report, Carrasco activated his main parachute then released it, but did not activate his reserve chute. The company further stated that he did not have optional emergency devices that would have activated the reserve chute automatically.

The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office reported that the accident happened on Saturday afternoon at about 3:30 p.m.

According to Skydive Spaceland’s attorney, Lee McMillan, who is also a skydiver, Carrasco was practicing with a group of 16 jumpers on the 20-way meet, an in-air performing routine and competition for next weekend.

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This the eighth death at Skydive Spaceland. The company is one of nine drop zones in Texas affiliated with the United States Parachute Association, which sets standards for safety and training. In spite of other suits that were filed and later settled with the company under undisclosed terms, the company says it stands behind its safety record and has successfully trained over 100,000 students.

Miguel Carrasco, originally from El Paso, lived in Austin with his wife and daughter, and worked for IBM as an engineer.

In 2012, out of an estimated 3.1 million skydives, there were 19 fatalities. Skydiving can be exciting but it is not without risk and skydiving and parachute accidents happen frequently. Many skydiving or parachute accident victims are catastrophically injured or even die as a result of equipment failure and malfunction or a poorly maintained parachute as well as many other reasons due to no fault of the jumper. Or a skydiver can be inexperienced, or not properly trained.

It can be difficult to determine what causes an accident, particularly if the accident involves a sport such as skydiving or parachuting. If you or a loved one has been involved in a skydiving or parachute accident, give our offices a call. Our experienced attorneys and team of experts can help investigate your claim. We will take the time to examine all of the details and we can help you receive justice and compensation for your injuries or loss. Your initial consultation with our legal professionals is free.