Deland Death and My Mother

[FreeFlyFreaky 0]

The headline “Skydiver Dies” admittedly sell lots of fish wrap but,
DAMMIT YOU’RE SCARING MY MOM TO DEATH – STOP IT!
My parents live in Orlando and I knew my mom was going to clip the article of Bungee Drapeau’s accident in Deland and send it to me. She of course did and I had to write back and explain low hook turns, swooping, ellipticals, wing loading etc.
What really upsets me is the media coverage of skydiving accidents. In this case I speak particularly of the statements of Sean Mussenden for the Orlando Sentinel. The account of Bungee’s death was not sensational to me but the statement he made concerning the last two fatalities in Deland I thought was entirely misleading.
He says, “a 31-year-old New Yorker, died Dec 27 when her parachute failed. In April 99, a 55-year-old French woman, fell to her death when her parachute failed.”
Excuse me? Parachute failed? When skydivers die with good reserves on their backs is this to be considered faulty equipment? I’d say the skydivers failed the equipment and not the other way around. I wish the journalist had said something closer to that than to leave the impression that double malfunctions are happening all over the place.
My point is this kind of man bites dog journalism does more to perpetuate biases against our sport. For most of the general public the very mention of skydiving causes beads to form on their foreheads. The most I guess we can do is educate as many around us and try to dispel the myths where we can. I wrote to this journalist asking that he be more than just “journalistically accurate”.
My mom wrote me back, I’ve got her believing I’ll live now…until the next article anyway.
Whit Baker

[lummy 4]

IMO,
I'd write a letter to the writer of the Sentinel explaining your views. At the very least, I'd send it to the editorial page. You can only hope that if you explained about all the safety involved in this sport as well as the details of the deaths in question, maybe one reporter will more accurately report in the future.
Like I said, just my opinion

[DBTECH 0]

The following is a complaint that I sent to ABC news in response to a misreported event.
RE: South pole, skydive expedition news text.
We the skydiving community and the parachute industry are soooo tired of hearing the explanation to almost every skydiving fatality that, "the parachute never or failed to open."
Have you people ever taken the time to get the facts as to why there was no open parachute? Have you ever considered the fact that in 90+% of these reported cases there was no activation of either the main or reserve parachutes for whatever reasons?
Get and report the FACTS guys; we're tired of this crap, and so is the parachute industry.
David B. Brownell (DB Technologies) (Commercial pilot / Skydiver with 1160 jumps)
Mesa, AZ

[SkySlut 0]

Yeah, sensationalism at its best or worst, whatever way you want to look at it. I dont support or condone ignorant journalism, but I think that I understand it...for the non-jumping public...falling 13,500 is the equivalent to being eaten alive by a shark. Its a primative fear that most people have. I kinda understand it, but f*ck 'em...they never bought me a beer and probably never will.
-Slut
"I'll jump anything!"

[PLFXpert 0]

Quote

I’d say the skydivers failed the equipment and not the other way around.

I couldn't agree more. Many times when I talk to whuffo's they ask, "Aren't you scared your chute won't open?" I reply: "Nope, b/c the chance of both my chutes not working are 1 in a million. It's many other things that cause the majority of skydiver deaths."
Also, you should mention to your mom that the # a year of skydiver deaths is low. I'm pretty sure it's between 20 and 25 deaths a year. IMO, that is extremely low especially with all the normal day activities that have a much higher #.
The last thing I have to add may cause controversy but I have to say it:
As a student in the college of communications, specifically journalism, I have to say that it is *very easy* to mislead without purposely meaning to. These articles get written, rewritten, and read over by a lot of people and it so happens that if none of those people are skydivers, then none of them are going to read it the way a skydiver would. Journalists have a billion rules they have to memorize and follow so as to make sure they only report facts, not opinions, and not libel someone either. Of course, their are the few pitbulls that cause a bad rep for the rest and certainly they all make mistakes. I'm sure, Frank, can back me up a bit here.
Having said all that, even though it's my major, I don't really plan to become a journalist. I'm also majoring in Sociology and would like to go more towards that but be able to write and possibly edit for magazines as well. Anyways.......didn't mean to get into a biography here....just wanted to show that I'm not necessarily defending the journalist b/c that's what I want to be since it's notOkay,....I'm rambling now. My boyfriend said I do that sometimes.....hope it's alrightMuch love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[unclbennie 0]

Not to be a wet blanket, but this sport is dangerous, and not only can it kill you, it can permanently injure you. My family fully understands that I can do everything right and still die on a typical skydive. Or that a "minor" misjudgement on my part can lead to life in a wheelchair. But I see it as a calculated risk, one that on most days I"m willing to take.
Blue skies
Karen

[Zennie 0]

My co-programmer went out to lunch a few weeks back with a friend. As they pulled out of the restaurant they got slammed by another car doing about 55 MPH (not sure who's at fault, but he wasn't driving). He's still having back problems and is out half the time because of the pain.
Everyday life is a risky activity...
------------
Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Dirtsucks 0]

I will certainly admit that the media’s interpretation of skydiving is totall BS. That fact is totally transparent to whuffo’s. I can relate to it, though. You read a story about something you don’t know anything about, and you simply take it for fact. IMHO everybody who reads a newspaper does it, and doesn’t think twice about it. I know I do. Then you read something about what you are familiar with (like skydiving), and you think “what the hell is this?!?”, because you know better. And other people who know better (skydivers) read it too, and think the same thing. But the reporters are whuffos, must of the people that read it are whuffos. They don’t know any better and probably never will. So I’ve got to agree with SkySlut - screw ‘em. They don’t get it, and they won’t ever get it. I haven’t jumped in 2 years, but I ain’t no goddamn whuffo, and I never will be.
Josh

[skreamer 1]

Quote

I kinda understand it, but f*ck 'em...they never bought me a beer and probably never will.

Hear, hear!
But do you know the funny thing? In a twisted kind of way I like the fact that the whuffos make such a big deal about skydiving fatalities (even if they do get the facts wrong).I remember reading once about a POPS/SOS skydiver who died of a heart-attack while under canopy. Now if he had died of a heart-attack while playing lawn bowls I really doubt it would have even made the papers. I mean nobody wants to die, but I could think of worse ways to go than a heart attack under canopy after about 40 years in the sport.
/s

[Pammi 0]

I read something the other day about how fear is a lot of times just lack of knowledge. People tend to be afraid of things they don't know or don't understand. While whuffos get that glazed over look listening to our stories, I think it's good for them. It has been to my family. I guilt them into listening to all of that, and how everything works, and now Mom bought a skydive for my brother for his birthday! Something I really never expected to happen after she bitched so much about me doing it in the beginning. She knows more about it now tho, and isn't as nervous about it as she was.
Pammi
"The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live."
-Joan Borysenko