Over Memorial Day weekend, a parasailing accident killed a 33-year-old woman from Illinois and injured her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew in the Florida Keys.
A sudden storm caused the boat captain to cut the parasail from the boat, which essentially caused the people in the parasail to become completed unmoored from anything. The results caused the parasail to drag the mother, her son and nephew across the ocean and slam them into a bridge.
The mother, Supraja Alaparthi, had died by the time medical help could be provided. The children were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to discuss the details.
Ward said, “We’ve got an initial report. I want complete reports to look at before we make a decision like this. The whole thing is concerning. What did the boat operator know and when did he know it? You can see what the weather looks like and they’re required to have those type of devices on board. We need to take a look at what we can do to make this safer. Of course there’s going to be a risk involved, but, man, you’ve got to use common sense. If you see storms out there.”
It’s possible criminal charges may be filed in this case once the investigation is complete.
Officials may take a hard look at regulations for parasailing. Florida Representative Jim Mooney and Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez have been looking into it.
If you’d like your input on parasailing to be included in the discussions, call Representative Mooney’s office here: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/contactmember.aspx?MemberId=4797&SessionId=93
Ward said, “The one that they’ve been quoting in the newspaper who started the parasail organization who made the comment ‘you do not cut the rope. That is the golden rule.’ That seems to me to be problematic for the boat operator, but we’ll see what the situation in total looks like and what he did to respond to those situations.”