A renowned skydiving pro had retired — but then came a freak mid-air collision in Florida
A skydiving legend was killed Sunday morning following a freak mid-air collision in Florida.
Carl Daugherty, 76, had retired from the sport and became a safety and training director at Skydive DeLand. WESH reports the fatal outing was actually meant to be a fun get-together with friends.
In a news release, the DeLand Police Department said officers responded to the DeLand Municipal Airport just before 10 a.m. after a male parachutist — later identified as Daugherty — “landed hard in a parking lot and was found unresponsive.”
“Witnesses told officers that they observed two parachutists collide mid-air with their parachutes open and got tangled,” said the release.
“One person was able to regain control while the other was not able to get his parachute to re-open.”
Bystanders attempted to render first aid, but were unsuccessful.
Tributes poured in to Daughtery’s personal Facebook page with friends posting pictures after meeting him and videos flying with him.
“Fierce, loyal, an achiever, a believer, a mentor and a teacher,” wrote one fan. “A remediator, a gladiator, a CHAMPION! In memory of my friend, Carl H. Daugherty, may he RIP.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 5:00 PM.
