Man found dead in yard of Florida home after skydiving accident
A skydiver has been killed in an accident in Florida.
The man was found on 7 October in a residence located just one block from the Arthur Dunn Airpark, near to Titusville in Brevard County, Florida.
When he was discovered, he was wearing parachuting gear on the lawn of a residence.
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The Arthur Dunn Airpark located nearby is known to have several skydiving centres which operate from it.
At present it is not clear exactly what circumstances lead up to the skydiver's death.
Police currently believe that he had been skydiving alone, and are conducting an investigation into the incident.
The man was confirmed dead at the scene.
A tweet from the Titusville fire department said: "**Skydiver down** Report of skydiver down on Merry Ln. this located just adjacent to Arthur-Dunn Airpark."
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and will release further information once this concludes.
A statement from Titusville Police department read: "Titusville Police Detectives are investigating the death of a man in connection with a solo parachuting incident that occurred on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at approximately 12:25 PM.
"The preliminary investigation revealed an adult male outfitted in parachute attire and gear was located on the lawn of a residence on the 2600 block of Merry Lane.
"The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
"This remains an ongoing investigation and more details will be released upon its conclusion."
According to Titusville Fire Department a helicopter was also requested for the incident but cancelled after the man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Tragically this is not the first time that someone has been found dead following a skydiving accident.
In 2022 a man was found dead at DeLand Municipal Airport located about 30 minutes west of Daytona Beach.
Authorities confirmed he had died due to a parachute issue and a 'hard landing'.
The U.S. Parachute Association confirmed that in 2021 there were ten fatal accidents during skydiving. This is a much lower figure than in previous years, and amounted to a rate of 0.28 fatalities per 100,000 jumps.
In the 1970s, 80s, and 90s however it was a different story entirely, with dozens of people reportedly killed every year while undertaking the dangerous sport.
However, since the 2000s the association has reported that there has been a slow decline in deaths annually.
It explained why this has occurred, saying: "Better technology, improvements to equipment and advancements in skydiver-training programs have made the sport safer than ever before."
Kit Roberts