The Chicago Fire Department said one parachutist with the U.S. Navy Leap Frog team landed in front of the boathouse at North Avenue Beach and was transported to a hospital in serious-to-critical condition and suffered a broken leg.
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Donna Dixon, a spokeswoman for the US Army’s Golden Knights, told local NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV that her team’s parachutist was in critical condition and underwent surgery. Roughly 40 family members came to his side in Chicago after the 32-year-old collided in the sky with a member of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs on Saturday, she said.
Spectator Heather Mendenhall told the Chicago Tribune Saturday that she was watching the show from a rooftop and saw one of the parachutists strike the roof of a high-rise building next door with his feet and then fall – his parachute trailing behind him.
Golden Knights canceled their performances today.
“He hit the building at his calves and he flipped over and fell in between, hit another wall and then fell”, a second witness said.
An investigation into what exactly caused the accident is ongoing. The accident left a shroud of darkness and gloom on the weekend long show that annually draws tens of thousands to the lakefront for aerial acrobats that thrills the crowd along with late summer sunshine.
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. The forward observer had two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder, Air Assault and Combat Action badges.
Officials said Hood later died from his injuries.
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Two parachute jumpers are in hospital after colliding mid-air during an air show in the US.
