Personal Injury Lawsuit Ends in $760K for Injured Skydiver

An Oklahoma accident prompted a skydiver to file a personal injury lawsuit. The skydiver alleged that when the parachute malfunctioned, the she was sent uncontrollably towards the ground at an extremely fast pace. She was unable to slow down in a safe manner and sustained critical personal injuries as a result.

The 3,500-foot fall prompted the injured skydiver to file a personal injury lawsuit. The accident occurred in Chickasha in Oklahoma in 2014 when the skydiver landed in an unsafe manner – a problem she and her family argued was the result of negligent operation practices of the skydiving company.

Personal Injury Lawsuit Ends in Favor of Injured Skydiver

A federal judge in Oklahoma City has concluded the personal injury lawsuit, awarding and $760,000 in damages. The now closed skydiving business was named as responsible for paying the judgement in full. In the personal injury lawsuit, the judge awarded $10,000 for future medical expenses.

The negligence lawsuit accused the Pegasus Air Sports owner of failing to properly train the skydiver for the jump before it happened.

According to the personal injury lawsuit filed on behalf of the injured young woman, the parachute that was used in the dive was in poor condition as well as being over 30 years old. Furthermore, parachutes can vary based on their size and the previous experience of the skydiver. The personal injury lawsuit argued that the parachute was not appropriate for the plaintiff’s skill level.

More than $400,000 in future physical pain and suffering costs and $350,000 in mental pain and suffering was awarded to the plaintiff at the conclusion the personal injury lawsuit against the skydiving company.

The judge accepted the allegations that the training was inadequate and that the parachute given to her was too fast and too small for a person of her relative inexperience and young age at the time. The owner of the skydiving business named in the lawsuit claimed that he had been a skydiving instructor for more than three decades and only a few dozen of his jumpers had been injured. He said that many of those jumpers did not follow his instructions.

The company closed after two decades in business, according to the owner, so he could retire. At a hearing last month in the personal injury lawsuit, the owner of that skydiving company did not appear in court.

The young woman who was injured in the skydiving accident was a teenager at the time and traveled with her father from Texas to Oklahoma to participate in the skydiving experience since it was one of the few places that minors are permitted to skydive. The rule previously allowed 16 and 17-year-old to jump with parental consent, but the U.S. Parachuting Association has raised the minimum age.

If you or someone you know has been hurt in an accident, you need to act as soon as possible to file an injury claim.

Contact an experienced lawyer at Bradley/Grombacher if you’ve been hurt in an accident caused by another person’s negligence - fill out the form on this page to learn more.

Note: Bradley/Grombacher is not representing the plaintiff in this lawsuit.