Woman killed and children hurt in Keys parasailing incident are identified

A family visiting Florida from Illinois was parasailing when the wind picked up, and the captain cut the cables tethering them to the boat, a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Supraja Alaparthi, 33; her son Sriakshith Alaparthi, 10; and her nephew Vishant Sadda, 9; were parasailing tethered to the 31-foot boat near Pigeon Key, north of the Seven Mile Bridge, on Memorial Day, the report says.

Not long after the three went into the air, a “strong gust of wind pegged the parasail,” meaning the wind, not the boat, controlled it, according to the report. The parasail chute acts as a sail, making it difficult for the boat to operate safely.

Typically the boat controls the parasail, going faster to raise the parasail and slowing down to lower it, the report says. Once the wind started to control the parasail, Light House Parasail Inc. Captain Daniel Couch, 49, of Marathon, cut the cables.

Alaparthi, her son and nephew then dropped from the sky and were dragged across the surface of the water until the parasail collided with the bridge west of Pigeon Key, according to the report.

Alaparthi was pronounced dead at the scene. Her son, Sriakshith, had minor injuries, and her nephew, Vishant, was taken to a hospital in Miami for treatment.

A report from the Monroe County Sheriff ’s Office said Vishant was in and out of consciousness and was hardly breathing, and his arms, legs and torso were bruised and cut.

The FWC is investigating the incident, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, a spokesperson for FWC said Wednesday.