How Common Are Skydiving Injuries?

Skydiving is a popular recreational activity for adrenaline seekers and adventure enthusiasts around the world. Skydive Spaceland in Houston offers tandem skydives with professionals for those wishing to “experience the thrill of a lifetime.” While skydiving accidents, injuries, and deaths are not common in Houston or elsewhere, they do occur. Get the facts and figures on skydiving injuries as well as potential recovery options after an accident.

Skydiving Facts and Injury Statistics

According to the United States Parachute Association (USPA), there were 21 recorded fatal skydiving accidents out of about 3.2 million total jumps in 2016. That equals just 0.0065 fatalities per 1,000 skydiving jumps. This is one of the lowest records in history, which points to improved safety in skydiving in recent years. The lowest record since the year 2000 was 0.0053 fatalities per 1,000 jumps (16 deaths total) in 2009, and the highest was 0.0135 fatalities (35 deaths total) in 2001. In the 1970s, there was an average of more than 42 skydiving fatalities every year.

While safety has certainly improved, skydiving accidents unfortunately do still happen. These statistics only reflect skydiving deaths. In 2016, there were 2,600 skydiving injuries that required medical care. These injuries have stemmed from failed chutes, human error, and bad landings. Injured parties can suffer broken limbs, concussions, and neck and back injuries in skydiving incidents. While 2,600 injuries out of millions of skydives does not make injuries common, per se, it does show that dangers exist for participants of this recreational activity.

In most cases, human error is to blame for skydiving accidents. The recreation company may not have properly trained its professionals, or the parachute manufacturing company may have made an error on the assembly line. Negligence is often at the heart of skydiving injuries and fatalities. If you suspect negligence in your case, learn your rights as a potential plaintiff.

Liability and Assumptions of Risk

Skydiving is a recreational activity that comes with well-known risks. Skydivers voluntarily accept these risks when they sign release waivers and agree to knowingly engage in the activity. Every skydiving facility makes patrons sign some kind of liability waiver before getting onto the plane. This waiver aims to protect the company from lawsuits in the event of an accident or injury. When engaging in an activity like skydiving, potential plaintiffs take the risk of injury onto themselves. This is a common defense the defendant might take. However, comparative negligence and other legal theories may circumvent a company’s liability waivers in certain situations.

If the plaintiff’s injuries resulted from some act of negligence on the part of the skydiving company, an employee, the pilot of the plane, the parachute manufacturer, or another party, the victim or his/her family may have the right to bring a lawsuit despite a liability waiver. This is because the assumption of risk in skydiving does not include negligence. It is unreasonable to expect a patron to assume the risk of a party’s negligence, recklessness, or unlawful act. No waiver can protect a company from these actions, or else it could do whatever it wanted to patrons without fear of retaliation.

To sue a party for your skydiving injury or the death of a loved one in Texas, you must base your case on the legal theory of negligence. You must prove that the defendant owed you or your loved one a duty of care, that it breached this duty in some way, and that this breach caused the injurious or fatal accident. You should prepare for a comparative negligence defense and issues regarding the waiver. Liability for inherently dangerous activities like skydiving is complex and deserves attention from experienced attorneys. Contact a personal injury lawyer in Houston for counsel regarding potential recovery after a skydiving accident.