Experienced Skydiver Was Participating In A Group Jump

A skydiver was fatally injured Saturday during a group jump at Skydive Spaceland Houston on Saturday after he collided with a second jumper as the formation broke. The other skydiver was injured, but survived.

Television station KHOU reports that the fatally-injured skydiver was Randy Schell a nationally-recognized voice actor. The other jumper was not identified by authorities.

According to the report, both skydivers were licensed and experienced. They had completed one successful skydive the same day prior to the accident jump.

Chuck Akers, a friend and one of the eight people who participated in the jump, told the station that the two jumpers opened their parachutes fairly close together, and Schell's airfoil experienced what is called an "off heading opening," meaning that the parachute did not open facing forward. Instead, it was pointed at another jumper. That carried Schell into the collision, he said.

Akers is on the board of the USPA. He referred to the other jumper by his first name ... Dennis.

Akers said that what happened during the jump "was the equivalent of stepping off the curb and not seeing the bus coming. It was fate."

(USPA image from file. Not accident jumpers)

FMI: www.uspa.org