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From: ds4a@dalton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Dale Southard)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Fatality In Colorado
Message-ID: <1991Mar21.173710.15263@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 21 Mar 91 17:37:10 GMT
References: <2020013@hpfelg.HP.COM>
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
Organization: University of Virginia
Lines: 42
Ireallyam: ds4a

In article <2020013@hpfelg.HP.COM> larry@hpfelg.HP.COM (Larry Chapman X3117) wri
tes:
>
>[stuff deleted]
>
>  A level IV AFF  student  doing his 5th jump (2nd of the day)  pulled  his
>cutaway handle at pull time instead of his main rip cord.  The student then
>became  "disoriented",  went into a flat spin on his back, and never pulled
>his main or reserve rip cords.
>
>  The jump master  reportedly  followed  the student to around 1000' trying
>for a "save" then pulled.
>
>
>What could have saved this student?
>
>  1) A jumpmaster that didn't let him "get away".
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

EXCUSE ME ????  When I went through AFF, it was stressed that the student was
responsible for his/her own saftey.  Yes, the JM is to assist during freefall,
but the JM's first duty is to insure his/her own saftey not the students.
That is why we make them take a class first.

Yes, the JM pulling would have saved him.  But that is NOT the JM's job!

How would you feel if you were the JM, and I blamed you?

Comments like the above are totally unnecessary.  This fatality is NOT the 
fault of the JM in any way (at least not from the info given here).  

I hope you don't like to jump there, because a statement like the above will
come in quite handy when the DZ get sued into bankruptcy.  Probably handy
enough for a large settlement against the DZ.  There is nothing like having
a the defendant admit malpractice to make a trial go quickly.(Trust me, my
old DZ got sued 12 years ago, things you never dreamed of will pop up in
court and will be used against you.)

Please, just the facts, let the FAA acess the blame.


-->  -->  Dale  UVa  (ds4a@virginia.edu)