NEW MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Officials are investigating the death of a Pennsylvania man who died after a skydiving accident in northeast Ohio.
Owners of Skydive Rick's in Springfield Township in Mahoning County say the 65-year-old man's legs became tangled in the lines of his main parachute after exiting the plane for a jump Sunday afternoon.
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They said Robert McQuiston, of Saxonburg, was able to open his reserve parachute, but still hit the ground too hard.
Skydive Rick's co-owner Kay Kuhns told local media that McQuiston, who served in the Army, had parachuting experience with the military.
Instructors said that after training all day at the skydiving facility, McQuiston chose to skydive alone rather than jump with a professional.
With almost a dozen family members on the ground watching, the jump went wrong.
“I radio to the student that there was a malfunction, pick up the main parachute away, deploy the reserve parachute. He landed kind of spinning and landed on the other side of the road over here,” said Skydive Rick's co-owner Rick Kuhns.
McQuiston was taken to a hospital, where he died.
He lived in Saxonburg with his wife and worked as a BART bus driver for Butler County.
“It's just a tragedy, and I'm going to be praying for him and his family,” said Tom Shoaf, who was friends with McQuiston.
Kay Kuhns and Rick Kuhns said this was the first deadly accident at their business since it opened 30 years ago.
The Mahoning County coroner is investigating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WPXI
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