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Investigators Look At Harness Failure In Pompano Beach Parasailing Death

Twenty-eight-year old Kathleen Miskell and her husband of almost three years, Stephen, came to Florida from their home in Connecticut for a relaxing vacation. However, Kathleen Miskell will never return to her home in Connecticut. She and her husband opted to take an afternoon parasail ride with WaveBlast Water Sports, which operates out of Sands Harbor Resort & Marina. Both Kathleen and her husband were given harnesses and then were strapped in to the side-by-side parasail, ready to fly up 200 feet above the ocean. Once in the air, Kathleen’s harness malfunctioned and she fell almost 200 feet into the ocean. Crew workers reeled in Stephen and then went to Kathleen, who was found floating face down in the water. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

Kathleen’s harness is now coming under fire. The harness and all other equipment used in Kathleen’s parasailing trip is being investigated by several agencies, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the United States Coast Guard, the Broward’s Sherriff’s Office and the National Transportation Safety Board. Mark McCulloch, chairman of the Parasail Safety Council reviewed photos and videos of the accident and believes that her death was caused because of “two support straps that appeared to have been sheared at the seam or stitch point.” He stated, “A cause for that can be poor manufacturing or years of maintenance neglect, which results in decomposition.” He also added that believed the harness to be an old model.

While Kathleen’s death has been ruled an accident, investigators are still attempting to gather facts about the incident. Officials have interviewed the parasailing company owner, the boat driver the relationship between the parasailing company and the hotel where it operates and the main cause of the accident. The relationship between WaveBlast and Sands Harbor Resort & Marina because it affects how much money can be recovered from WaveBlast if WaveBlast is found to have been negligent or to have contributed to the accident.

Parasailing death inquiry to focus on equipment, www.miamiherald.com August 22, 2012.


While Kathleen’s death has been ruled an accident, investigators are still attempting to gather facts about the incident. Officials have interviewed the parasailing company owner, the boat driver the relationship between the parasailing company and the hotel where it operates and the main cause of the accident. The relationship between WaveBlast and Sands Harbor Resort & Marina because it affects how much money can be recovered from WaveBlast if WaveBlast is found to have been negligent or to have contributed to the accident.

Kathleen Miskell died in an utterly tragic manner, when she shouldn’t have died at all. Had a proper harness been used, she might still be here today. Often, it takes a tragic accident for design and manufacturing defects to materialize. If you or a loved one has been injured by use of a defective product, contact the Miami product liability lawyers at the Friedland | Carmona today. The Coral Gables personal injury lawyers are also expert wrongful death attorneys who have devoted their careers to helping victims and their families recover compensation for their losses. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one due to a defect product, call (305) 661-2008 today for your free consultation. Don’t hesitate!

The Miami product liability attorneys at the Friedland | Carmona handle all types of personal injury cases throughout the state of Florida, including Boca Raton, Homestead, North Miami, South Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, Kendall, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. The Friedland | Carmona handles all types of personal injury cases, including wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, slip and falls and construction site injuries. Call the Miami personal injury attorneys at (305) 661-2008 for your free consultation. Call today–Let our family take care of your family!

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