CHICAGO – Members of a U.S. Army skydiving team will return to their base where they will have access to counselling after a parachutist from their unit died from injuries suffered during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show, a spokeswoman for the group said.
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So the accident this weekend at Chicago’s annual Air and Water Show, in which a Golden Knight fell unconscious to the ground after colliding with a parachutist from the Navy’s Leap Frogs, came as a shock to the team and the horrified spectators who saw it happen.
As a Sergeant First Class, Hood enlisted in the army more than ten years ago and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his bio on the Golden Knight’s website.
Lt Col Matthew Weinrich, commander of the army parachute team told the Chicago Tribune their focus was on “supporting Corey’s family and grieving for our teammate”. During the obstruct, parachutists plunge with the use of dry smoke a cigarette tracking from packs and thus break, setting up a bright observable in the atmosphere.
Asked whether his mom still anxious, he said: “always”.
He leaves behind a wife, Lyndsay C. Hood, who is originally from Kernersville, NC, according to her Facebook profile.
Before serving in the Golden Knights, which he called “The Best Job Ever” on Facebook, Hood served as a Forward Observer in the 3/319th AFAR, at Ft Bragg, NC, according to his online biography.
Upon arriving at the scene, paramedics rushed Hood to Northwestern Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead a little after 4 p.m. Said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, “Sergeant Hood is an American hero, having dedicated almost half his life in service to our nation”.
The Blue Angels did not disappoint in the grand finale. Pres. George H.W. Bush went on many tandem jumps with the Golden Knights, Dixon said. Specialists such as the Army and Navy jumpers can reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour during free fall by pulling their arms to their sides.
“The team members had formed a circle by holding hands in the air, then broke apart in different directions”, Chicago Tribune reports.
The airshow proceeded with Sunday yet the skydiving groups scratched off their exhibitions. Hood crashed onto a sidewalk after he reportedly hit the top of a building, the paper said.
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Two parachutists were genuinely harmed Saturday amid the Chicago Air & Water Show, fire authorities said, and witnesses reported seeing one of the entertainers cut a building.
