Latest news with #parasailing
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Florida boat captain indicted on federal charges in parasailing death of Illinois woman
A federal grand jury in Florida has indicted a boat captain in connection with the death of an Illinois woman killed in a parasailing accident in 2022. Daniel Gavin Couch, 52, has been charged with one count of seaman's manslaughter, accused of "misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties" in the Memorial Day 2022 death of Supraja Alaparthi. Alaparthi, 33, was parasailing with her son and her nephew near Pigeon Bay in the Florida Keys on May 30, 2022, when a strong gust of wind "pegged" their parasail - meaning the wind took over control of the parasail from the boat below. A subsequent report said this made for a situation so dangerous that Couch decided to cut the line tethered to the victims. The Alaparthi family's attorney has said 11 relatives – including Alaparthi's 6-year-old daughter, were on the boat that afternoon and witnessed Couch cut the cord. Alparthi and her son and nephew were dropped from an unknown height and dragged through the water by the floating parasail until it finally slammed into Old Seven Mile Bridge, the report said. Alaparthi died instantly. Her 10-year-old son, Sriakshith Alaparthi, and 9-year-old nephew, Vishant Sadda, were injured, but survived. Before his indictment on federal charges, Couch already was facing felony manslaughter charges in state court in Florida, as well as several misdemeanor charges. Monroe County prosecutors have said his decision to cut the cord was reckless, and not only violated commercial parasailing guidelines, but was criminal. Couch faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the federal charges. The state manslaughter charges carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. The Alaparthi family also has filed a lawsuit against the parasailing company, Couch, and other individuals and companies involved in the accident. That lawsuit is still pending in Monroe County, according to online court records. The family's attorneys are calling for mandatory training in the parasailing industry. The video above is from a previous report.
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Daily Mail
British mother, 52, 'is sexually assaulted in the air by parasail instructor' during holiday in Tunisia
A British mother says she was sexually assaulted while parasailing during a holiday in Tunisia. She claims a male instructor groped her and pressed his body against hers while they were strapped together in the air above the resort town of Sousse. In an interview, the woman, from Merseyside, described how the alleged ordeal left her feeling 'violated and dirty and scared'. She had booked a tandem parasailing flight with a friend, but the staff told them it was too windy for them to go up together. Instead, they would each fly with an operator. Her friend went first and had no issues. Watching from the beach, she noted that there was clearly a significant distance between her friend and the male guide. But she said her own flight was a completely different experience. 'I could feel the back of my bikini bottoms being pulled, and he was pulling the strap. He must have been tightening the harness to get me closer,' she told The Sun. 'His legs straddled around me, he had one hand up on the parachute, the other wasn't. Then I felt him touch my leg. 'He was groping me and moving back and forth into me and talking to me in Arabic. I felt him pressing against me. I kept arching my back. I felt violated and dirty and was scared. He was only a young lad, maybe around 20. 'It was a horrible experience and I was really scared. I felt helpless hanging in the air.' The woman says she burst into tears as soon as she landed and immediately reported the incident to the water sports centre's manager. She then went to the local police. The divorcee had booked the £6,000 easyJet package holiday with her children and was unable to enjoy the rest of the trip. She added: 'As women, you expect a bit of banter from men in these countries, but this wasn't banter, it was a sexual assault.' She says her alleged attacker has since been arrested, and her insurance company, as well as the Foreign Office, is helping her. EasyJet said 'the safety and wellbeing of our customers is a priority, and we are continuing to support' the woman. 'We are also liaising closely with our hotel partner to look into the reports.'
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Tourist is 'knocked out cold' during parasailing launch and carried into the air unconscious
A woman was 'knocked out cold' as she took off on a parasail after a cable struck her head. Tourists gasped in horror amid fears the woman had broken her neck as she was hit by the cable. Three people - two women and a man - were attached as the parasail was launched from a beach in the Russian city of Golubitskaya, on the Black Sea. Three attendants were assisting - but the launch went badly wrong. The woman in front is yanked out of position as 'a cable jerks sharply'. She is seen hanging limply as the holidaymakers are towed into the sky by a speedboat. Multiple reports have said she was 'unconscious'. Voices from the beach shouted: 'She's not feeling well, she's not feeling well...' One said: 'She could have broken her neck. Something's wrong with her back.' The crew on the boat did not immediately realize the severity of the situation - and the flight continued with her hanging unconscious in the strapping. Krasnodar Teletype Telegram channel reported: 'The boat operator failed to notice the condition of the passenger and continued the scheduled ride. 'At the moment of takeoff, a piece of parasail equipment detached and struck her in the head. The woman lost consciousness.' Two women were hospitalized following the parasailing flight at Al Mare beach. Local media have not reported on the condition of the woman in front, nor named the pair, a mother and daughter. The daughter later said: 'Mom is doing as well as can be expected. I was hurt too - I have some injuries. But we're okay, everything's fine - we're alive.' Paramedics were called to give first aid before they were taken to hospital. The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a probe into suspected safety breaches. The Novorossiysk Transport Prosecutor's Office is also investigating the horrific incident.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Horrifying moment female tourist is 'knocked out cold' during parasailing launch and carried into the air unconscious after 'cable struck her on the head'
This is the terrifying moment a woman was 'knocked out cold' as she took off on a parasail after a cable struck her head. Tourists gasped in horror amid fears the tourist had broken her neck as she was hit by a cable. Three people - two women and a man - were attached as the parasail launched from a beach in the Russian city of Golubitskaya, on the Black Sea. Three attendants were assisting - but the launch went badly wrong. The woman in front is yanked out of position as 'a cable jerks sharply'. She is seen hanging limply as the holidaymakers are towed into the sky by a speedboat. Multiple reports said she was 'unconscious'. Voices from the beach shouted: 'She's not feeling well, she's not feeling well….' One said: 'She could have broken her neck. Something's wrong with her back.' The crew on the boat did not immediately realise the desperate plight of the woman in front - and the flight continued with her hanging unconscious in the strapping. 'The boat operator failed to notice the condition of the passenger and continued the scheduled ride,' said Krasnodar Teletype Telegram channel. 'At the moment of take-off, a piece of parasail equipment detached and struck her in the head. The woman lost consciousness.' Two women were hospitalised in the emergency following the parasailing flight at Al Mare beach. Russian reports have not reported the condition of the woman in front, nor named the pair, a mother and daughter. The daughter said later: 'Mum is doing as well as can be expected. I was hurt too — I have some injuries. But we're okay, everything's fine — we're alive.' One witness said that when the mother returned from the flight she was conscious 'but could barely walk'. Paramedics were called to give first aid before they were taken to hospital. The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a probe into suspected safety breaches. The Novorossiysk Transport Prosecutor's Office is also investigating the horrific incident.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
P.E.I. parasailing group hopes to make sport more accessible to Islanders
A new group is looking to bring parasailing to the Island, which would mean all four Atlantic provinces would have programs to make sailing accessible for all people. Benjamin Keizer, founder of Able Sail P.E.I., said there are other similar groups across Canada, including in B.C. and Ontario. "We're the only Atlantic province currently that doesn't have a parasailing program, and so we want to bring it over to P.E.I. so we can compete with the rest of them," he said. Keizer said he isn't aware of there being any accessible boats on the Island, so he said they're looking for potential boats in other provinces that could be used on the Island. He estimated an accessible boat would cost around $40,000. Keizer said the boats could be used by people who have no mobility from the neck down. "If you're blind, if you're deaf, if you have lower limb disability, upper limb disability, if you're unable to actually use your hands, you can use a straw system, so you can control the sails by sipping and puffing through straws," he said. A demonstration event was held at the Charlottetown Yacht Club Saturday. Cara Flanagan attended the demonstration. She said she hasn't been on a sailboat in nearly two decades. With regular sailboats, she said she would need somebody else to help her board and get off, which she said isn't necessarily simple. "I've never seen an accessible boat, where this one has a lift that will lift you up into the sailboat," she said. Flanagan said she thinks this will be a successful program. "I think it would be a major game changer, with just the amount of people that are here today, and there's a few other people I know that were not able to be here and would love to try this out," she said. Keizer said this event was to see if people are interested in parasailing. He wants people to come to the next event on July 12. "Just get the word out, to see if people would ... be interested in volunteering, or if they have someone in their community that has a disability, that they can come down and learn about the sailing opportunities," he said.
