SEBASTIAN — Russell Garvin, of 7865 126th St. said he was inside his house when he heard a loud boom. He quickly moved to his front yard where he saw 28-year-old Rafael Ramirez hanging in a harness from a parachute tangled in power lines above Garvin’s mailbox. Ramirez’s skydiving companion was in distress on the ground nearby.
“One was still hanging in the power lines, the other one was lying on the ground, rolling around and holding his hip,” Garvin said.
Ramirez unhooked his harness and dropped a few feet to the ground, suffering a few small burns, according to the Indian County Sheriff’s Office.
As a Florida Power & Light crew continued to work untangling the gear from the power lines, the topic of conversation largely revolved around the two skydivers who both refused medical attention.
“They’re very lucky, but they need to go to the hospital,” said Mike Crowther of Florida Power & Light. He added their decision was “foolish” and could likely cause problems for the men in the coming hours or days.
“It’s almost like using a defibrillator on yourself,” Crowther said of the electric shocks the men received. Crowther also pointed out burn marks on the tangled rope.
According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Ramirez had attempted a 13,000-foot-jump, but was blown off course by strong winds. Though Ramirez deployed his parachute at approximately 4,000 feet, he still lost control, landing himself in the power lines.
Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar issued a statement saying, “Indian River County is known for it’s skydive tourism. Thousands of safe jumps happen here every year. We are glad Mr. Ramirez was able to land safely and that we could help him today.”
As Garvin stood in his yard watching the electric crew work, he shook his head and said, “those are two lucky boys. Two very lucky boys.”
SEBASTIAN — A skydiver jumping from Skydive Sebastian has hit powerlines during his decent at 7865 126th St., Sebastian, according to authorities.
The wires were hanging low causing problems for motorists.
“All the gear is tangled up in the powerline,” according to scanner traffic.
FP&L has responded to the scene, Comcast is also being notified. No injuries were reported.
This article will be updated when more information becomes available.