A veteran skydiver, 62-year-old Robert Szabo, tragically lost his life after he collided with another skydiver while jumping from a plane over Orange, Massachusetts.
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As reported by WBZ-TV, the incident occurred on Saturday, October 4. During the afternoon, Szabo jumped from a Jumptown Skydiving plane. The skydiving center confirmed in a statement shared with the outlet that Szabo and another experienced skydiver collided mid-air.
Szabo managed to land on airport property “under a fully functioning parachute.” He was then transported to a Worcester hospital. Days later, on Tuesday, October 7, the 62-year-old from Connecticut sadly passed away.
The other skydiver was not injured as a result of the collision, Orange Fire Chief James Young confirmed.
Skydiving Veteran, Remembered
Szabo was a staff member at Connecticut Parachutists, a skydiving center in Ellington. The center detailed that the veteran jumper had a poor prognosis given the results of his MRI. Therefore, it was decided to take him off his ventilator.
“Whether he greeted you with a smile or his signature eye roll, it was the warmest one around,” Connecticut Parachutists said in a statement. “We will always remember his kindness, patience, and generosity with his time and skill.”
The Connecticut skydiving center detailed that Robert Szabo made his first jumps back in 1981. His passion for the sport, the center’s website said, started in 2000, and he has competed and won several competitions ever since.
“There isn’t a weekend that goes by that you won’t find Rob at the Dropzone, teaching classes, taking up new students, or just plain fun jumping,” his online bio added. “Rob’s accumulated skydiving knowledge has made him an asset to jumpers of all experience levels.”
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
This incident occurred the very same day that a Nashville skydiver, Justin Robert Fuller, died after he fell off a plane without a parachute.
As per the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the incident occurred on October 4. The MNPD found a skydiver with an open parachute lodged in a tree in the woods off Ashland City Highway.
This skydiver in question had fallen along with Fuller, who was subsequently found in a wooded area. Both jumpers had fallen off a plane tandem, authorities said.