One person was killed and another was in critical condition after a skydiving accident in Perris on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Firefighters responded to the scene near the 600 block of East Ellis Avenue just before 2 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. One skydiver was declared deceased, another transported to a hospital with severe injuries and a third was located without any injuries.<\/p>\n
The three skydivers were a group of friends traveling from overseas who went jumping together while visiting the Skydive Perris center, manager Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld said in a statement.<\/p>\n
They were all experienced skydivers who landed under good parachutes, he said. It appears there was a collision during a freefall between two of the friends.<\/p>\n
Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff\u2019s Office were also dispatched to assist with the emergency and found the deceased skydiver in a field on the east side of the 215 Freeway and the injured skydiver on the west side of the freeway, according to a department spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Video captured by OnScene.TV in the aftermath of the incident showed sheriff\u2019s deputies speaking to a man wearing a Skydive Perris T-shirt next to a field of dry brush that was cordoned off with police tape. <\/p>\n
\u201cA full investigation is being conducted,\u201d said Brodsky-Chenfeld. \u201cOur deepest sympathies go out to all loved ones and others who were affected.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, an instructor and a student with Skydive Perris died when they encountered a \u201cdust devil,\u201d<\/a> a rotation of hot air and dirt that resembles a mini tornado, that sent them slamming into the ground. <\/p>\n