Skydiver in Critical Condition as Result of Parachute Malfunction
Hawai‘i Fire Department first-responders arrived at a vacant lot mauka of Upolu Airport in North Kohala at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 28, 2017, in response to a report of a skydiving accident.
HFD personnel found four or five bystanders with a man in his 40s lying on ground with multiple serious injuries as a result of high-speed contact with the ground.
According to the lead skydiver instructor, the accident was possibly caused by a parachute malfunction.
The skydiver, reported to be in critical condition, was treated and stabilized by medics, then loaded aboard HFD Chopper 2 for transport to North Hawaii Community Hospital.