Georgia woman injured in parasailing accident still hospitalized

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Georgia woman remains in critical condition after she crashed onto the shores of Clearwater Beach after a parasailing accident Sunday afternoon.

According to Clearwater Police spokesperson Joelle Castelli, 27-year-old Alejandra White and her fiancé were parasailing near Pier 60 around 3:00 p.m. when storms blew in and the line attaching the parasail to its boat snapped.

The couple were about 50 feet up in the air at the time, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.

“The lady was coming down and this wind picked up real fast,” said Patrick Register, who performed CPR on White moments after the crash.

"I guess I was in shock because (my husband) said, 'it's coming right for us' and he threw me down and jumped on top of me." said eyewitness Vickie Leka.

White drifted east and crashed into some beach umbrellas, then hit a 4-by-4 metal volleyball poll, Castelli said.

"She came down, hit the ground, the sand she wrapped around the pole we did CPR for a little while." said Tony Warsaw.

She was taken to Sand Key where lifeguards attended to her before the paramedics arrived.

She was then flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. An initial report from Clearwater Fire Rescue Sunday night indicated that White had died, but a hospital official confirmed that she did undergo surgery and was still in critical condition as of Monday morning.

Her fiancé, Shaun Ladd, fell into the ocean about 6 feet offshore, but was able to swim back to the beach and wasn’t seriously hurt.

Both were visiting from Atlanta, Georgia, according to an accident report.

Gary Morse from Florida Fish and Wildlife said 2 others on the boat, which is owned by Sky Screamer Parasailing of Clearwater, were also hurt in the accident, although he wasn’t able to elaborate how.

Their injuries were minor.

Several agencies are investigating the accident. Authorities believe the rope tied to the harness snapped. The parasailing boat sat at the Clearwater Marina for much of the day.

Monday afternoon FWC officers boarded the vessel, then took it to their Tampa Headquarters.

"They will look at every aspect of the boats mechanics, retrieval device they have on board. The line, the rope connecting the passengers to the vessel, to the parachute itself. said Capt Roger Young.

But many are wondering why the boat's captain, Derek Lombardi of Dunedin , was operating the boat at all.  

"These people shouldn't have been boating, let alone parasailing", said Morse.

Castelli said Sky Screamer met all the safety guidelines set by PAPO, the Professional Association of Parasail Operators, which the city requires in order for parasailers to operate at the city's beaches.

The Better Business Bureau hasn't had any complaints about the company in the past 3 years.