The parents of 40-year-old Jennifer McCoun have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Adventure Center Skydiving alleging the company caused her untimely death on January 31st, 2009.
McCoun was the president and CEO of the Tulare Chamber of Commerce before her death.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County alleges that the skydiving company, Adventure Center Skydiving, gave McCoun a defective parachute that after opening caused her to slam into the ground. Apparently the Velcro failed to hold the steering handles in place and therefore caused the parachute to spin in tight turns after it opened.
According to reports, McCoun survived the fall. Her mother, Marilyn McCoun, released a statement saying, "she actually lived for three hours." however, because the skydiving company failed to contact Jennifer McCoun's emergency contact numbers, her parents didn't get to the hospital until after she died.
The skydiving accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Marilyn McCoun tried reaching her daughter on her cell phone and got no answer. Then she called the skydiving business around 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. only to find out that Jennifer McCoun had been airlifted to nearby Santa Clara Valley Medical Center after the accident.
When McCoun's parents arrived at the hospital, they were told she had been briefly revived but a broken rib had torn her aorta.
The personal injury attorney representing the McCouns said this accident probably would not have happened had the worn out Velcro been replaced. Experts for the plaintiff believe the accident occurred because of "poor maintenance" of the parachute. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the parachute packers were allowed to drink beer and smoke marijuana while performing their jobs.
McCoun was listed as an inexperienced jumper and chose the skydiving facility because of their safety record. When in actuality the company had two fatalities, one in 2001 and another in 2002. Both of which they failed to disclose in their advertising.
McCoun's parents are seeking and unspecified amount of damages for "wrongful death, fraud and emotional distress."
If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident due to the negligence of another, please contact the Alabama Accident Attorneys today for a free case evaluation. Please call us toll free at 1-888-580-5176 or 205-324-1212.
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