Defective Parachute Blamed in Skydiver Death

The parents of Jennifer McCoun, 40, who died two years ago in a skydiving accident, have filed a lawsuit against the skydiving company for allegedly providing her with a faulty parachute, as reported by the Mercury News from Silicon Valley, CA.

McCoun was the president and CEO of the Tulare Chamber of Commerce at the time of her death on January 31, 2009.

It is alleged in the lawsuit that worn Velcro fastening failed to hold the steering handles of the parachute in place.  The faulty Velcro allowed the parachute to spin after opening.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Santa Clara County Superior Court, almost two years since McCoun's death. 

In 2009 the news had reported that although McCoun's parachute opened, it spun in tight turns until she was slammed into the ground.

The skydiving company, Adventure Center Skydiving, is named in the suit for wrongful death, fraud and emotional distress.  Mako Igarashi, the owner, was unreachable for comment.

McCoun's parents contend that though they were listed as emergency contacts their number wasn't dialed by Adventure Center Skydiving. They further contend that had they been called they would have seen their daughter prior to her death as once she reached the hospital "she actually lived for three hours."

Marilyn McCoun, Jennifer's mother, said that the accident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. When she hadn't heard from her daughter later that day she started calling her cellular phone.  She got no answer.  It wasn't until she got in touch with the skydiving center, at about 6:30 or 7 p.m., that she was told that her daughter had been airlifted to a hospital.

Jennifer later died at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

Arriving as soon as possible at the hospital, it was too late, a surgeon had found that a broken rib had torn her aorta. They also learned that their daughter had briefly been revived before succumbing to her injuries.

A report on the parachute, written for the FAA by a 48-year experienced veteran, cited "poor maintenance" of the parachute, per McCoun family attorney Joel Siegal.  The report further attested that had the Velcro been replaced that it "probably" would have kept the parachute from spinning.

Also in the report: McCoun was an inexperienced jumper and only had begun jumping the previous summer.

The lawsuit alleges that the parachute packers were known for drinking beer and smoking marijuana while on the job.

McCoun's parents were further distressed to find that the company's reporting of never having a fatality was false.  They discovered that deaths had occurred in both 2001 and 2002.  Even after their daughter's death, the boast remained on their website. 

Jennifer's father, James McCoun, stated that his daughter only chose that center over others due to its clean record.

You may be due monetary compensation if you have lost a loved one in a wrongful death scenario.  Please look over our directory to contact a personal injury attorney that can assist you with your case today!