Skydiver injured in fourth incident

Central Saanich mayor concerned ‘there may be something deeper at work’

A skydiver has been seriously injured in a hard landing in a Central Saanich field, the fourth serious skydiving incident this year involving the same company.

The skydiver was taking video of a tandem jump when he “hit the ground extremely hard” in a field at Woodwynn Farms on Monday afternoon, said Capital City Skydive owner Bob Verret, who was watching from the ground.

The man was unconscious and had serious injuries to his ankles.

Firefighters, police and paramedics responded and the man was taken to hospital.

Verret said the man, in his 30s, was an employee who joined the company in the spring.

He is an experienced skydiver with more than 300 jumps, Verret said.

“It’s still under investigation as to whether he misjudged the altitude or whether there was a wind change,” Verret said.

The company and Central Saanich Police will review the video for any indication of what could have gone wrong.

“It’s very unfortunate that these incidents have happened,” Verret told the Times Colonist. “We look at every incident, we investigate every incident in the hope of preventing any further incidents.”

Verret said skydiving accidents are not uncommon.

“We’re dealing with a sport that is very dangerous. You have to be sharp, you have to be focused at all times.

“It’s a very intense sport and these things happen.”

On April 8, a skydiver became trapped in a tree on Thomson Place in Central Saanich, setting off a search as emergency responders tried to locate her.

On June 4, two skydivers suffered broken bones after a rogue gust of wind caused their parachutes to collapse during the air show section of the Oak Bay Tea Party.

One man broke a femur and the other an ankle.

On June 17, two skydivers were blown off course and became tangled in a tree canopy near Mount Newton Cross Road. Central Saanich firefighters and an arborist with aerial rescue training worked for hours to rescue the pair, one of whom suffered a fractured limb.

After that incident, the District of Central Saanich asked Transport Canada to investigate.

Central Saanich has not heard back from Transport Canada, which regulates aircraft associated with parachuting but does not oversee parachuting or skydiving.

The Canadian Sport Parachuting Association implements safety guidelines for the industry.

Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor said his biggest concern is that first responders are tied up with skydiving mishaps that might be preventable.

“My primary concern is with the use of our resources,” Windsor said.

“When you have multiple incidents in the same year with an operator, there may be something deeper at work.”

Windsor said someone needs to look at whether there is a pattern or any safety concerns that need to be addressed.

“With the third incident [in Central Saanich] we’ll take a closer look and determine what action we should take at our level of government,” he said.

WorkSafe B.C. is also investigating Monday’s incident.