By SCOTT CARLSON
North Platte Post
CRETE, Neb.-A Florida man has died following a skydiving accident in Crete.
According to Crete police, the accident happened last Thursday at the Crete airport when a parachute malfunctioned after William Seale, 34, of St. Petersburg, Florida, exited a plane owned by Skydive Atlas LLC in a tandem jump with employee Romulo Suarez, 56, of Crete.
Police said the pair's parachute did not properly deploy, and they made contact with the ground while traveling at a high rate of speed.
Police said Seale and Suarez were both transported to the hospital, where Seale was pronounced dead. Suarez sustained life-threatening injuries. His condition is unknown.
Skydive Atlas released the following statement:
The Skydive Atlas Family is grieving today after the tragic loss of a novice skydiver and serious injury to an experienced tandem master. The incident took place on Thursday, Sept. 15 during the final descent of a typical skydive, but at this time it’s not possible to precisely know what the cause of the accident, so we won’t speculate.
An investigation is underway.
Safety has been and must be our top priority, every day, and every jump. Each skydiver and each Skydive Atlas team member receives thorough training and counseling. Skydive Atlas, a member of the U.S. Parachute Association Group, has performed nearly 20,000 safe jumps since starting business in 2005. The tandem master involved has more than 1,800 jumps alone.
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