An Illinois mom was killed and two young kids were injured when a sudden storm prompted a boat captain to cut loose their parasail, which then dragged them across the ocean and slammed them into a bridge in the Florida Keys, authorities announced.
According to a news release sent by the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday night, a nearby boater saw the victims hit the water and rushed to rescue them, pulling the woman and the two children into his boat and taking them to waiting paramedics.
Authorities said the 33-year-old mother from Schaumburg, Illinois, was already dead by the time they arrived at the nearby Sunset Grill Marina. Both her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew were taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries, according to USA Today.
Memorial Day storm developed suddenly
John Callion, a fishing guide, raced around Pigeon Key to reach the victims, his fiancée, Kasey Platt, told WPLG-TV. Platt told the television station that he was pretty frantic on the call. Platt knew something bad had happened as he told her to call 911 right away.
According to Callion, the Memorial Day storm developed suddenly, leading to the unfortunate accident. He told the Miami Herald that it was pretty much flat calm out there, but you could see the storm coming. Callion added that all of a sudden, the temperature in the area dropped by 10 degrees and the wind started blowing like crazy.
According to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report that was released on Tuesday night, the captain on the boat pulling the parasail decided to "cut a line tethered to the three victims" because the parasail was "pegging," or dragging the vessel.
The agency's report said that the woman and children were then dragged "through and across the surface of the water" by the inflated parasail until they collided with the Old Seven Mile Bridge.
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Captain made a major mistake in cutting the cord
Mark McCulloh, who is a parasailing safety consultant from Maitland, Florida, said that boat captains should never cut the cord when people are in the air. McCulloh told the Associated Press that decision should not be even in the cards, calling the captain's actions a major no-no.
McCulloh noted that, generally speaking, a captain is giving up control of the people parasailing by cutting the line. He added that the captain ran a huge risk because it is windy. McCulloh said that when the parasail lands in the water, it doesn't stop moving.
Callion, the fishing guide who personally saw the crash, found the 10-year-old boy battered but awake after the impact. The 9-year-old boy was in worse shape as Callion found him unconscious and wrapped in the parasail's lines. He said that it was pretty much the worst thing you could imagine and it was real bad. The Coast Guard and the state's wildlife agency are currently investigating the tragic incident.
