Cameraman Collided With Another Skydiver

A 32-year old Australian skydiver was killed Friday when he collided with another parachutist and spiraled down to the ground east of Perth.

Australian police said Damien Frane Ivicevich, an experienced skydiving photographer jumped with three other people from a Cessna Caravan at 14,000 feet, videotaping all the way as they cavorted in the sky. But after opening their chutes at 3,500 feet AGL, Ivicevich collided with another parachutist at about 500 feet. Their canopies became entangled and Ivicevich spiralled to the ground.

Efforts to revive him on the ground failed. Police in the Australian city of York confiscated the tape from Ivicevich's camera, hoping for clues about how the collision happened. Ivicevich was jumping with a company called Skydive Express, based in Leederville, Western Australia. He was the third Skydive Express jumper to die in 18 months.

Skydive Express Statement

Two experienced parachutists were involved in a freak accident. A canopy collision caused one of the parachutists to have an exceptionally heavy landing. Unfortunately, the injuries to that parachutist proved fatal. The other parachutist involved in the collision was unharmed and landed without incident. The skydiving community is mourning the loss of a very popular member of its family. The Australian Parachute Federation will provide a comprehensive report upon completion of their investigation.

FMI: www.skydive.com.au