Quadriplegic man dies skydiving, disability prevented him from manually deploying parachute...

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Jacque Quinene 10 minutes ago
For all of you thinking this was suicide, STOP. Zack would never do that. This guy had an incredible will to live. As a junior in high school Zack was paralyzed and the doctors said he would never walk again. A few years later he surprised his mom on mothers day by standing up and walking to her. Soon after that he was driving, then riding a motorcycle. He started bungee jumping and then skydiving. He was living his life more than a lot of who do have full mobility. No, this wasn't suicide, this was a tragic accident that took and amazing person out of this world too soon. For those of you who still think this was suicide, I'm sorry for you - because you obviously didn't have the pleasure of knowing my friend, Zack Fogle.

[link to www.independent.co.uk]

That's a shame.

Yes,he sounds like an amazing guy...lot braver than me, makes you wonder what really happened, didn't anyone check his chute before he jumped?

Why in the hell was a quadriplegic skydiving?

Did he have his power wheelchair strapped on and he just rolled out the of the plane?

Someone who without sufficient reason repeatedly engages in high-risk activity is effectively committing suicide, whether he consciously admits it or not.

The obvious example is of a tightrope walker who insisted on walking across the Grand Canyon every year (without a net). One such attempt was arguably suicidal already, but to do so every year--as he got older and his reflexes slowed down--was clearly a plan for death.

Skydiving for "sport" is arguably suicidal behavior for everyone, but for someone who is physically unable to deploy his parachute, it clearly is so.

Those who justify their high-risk "sport" by citing the "rush" (excitement) are no different from drug addicts and sex fiends who attempt to justify their own high-risk behavior in the same way.

Last Edited by Skeptic the First on 08/03/2011 11:57 AM

"An examination of his gear showed no malfunctions, suggesting he failed to properly set a device that would have caused his reserve parachute to open on its own."

OK, does this mean he didn't set this device at all, or he set it up wrong? With 125 jumps to his credit, how could he set it up wrong, and how could a paraplegic set it up at all?

After you are certified for freefall, it is YOUR responsibility for YOUR equipment...

The dude failed to set his AAD (Automatic Activation Device), so the reserve did not deploy...

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

Uses his teeth...

doesn't anyone check out skydivers before they jump- you know, double-check just for safety? seems logical and should be mandatory for an able-bodied jumper, and absolutely necessary for this case

Actually, they are ineffectively committing suicide, but the spirit of your post is 100% correct.

The guy knew he didn't set his device up properly. Accidents happen with less survivor guilt than suicides. No shame for this guy, good for him.

+1 bungee jumping and other 'sool' sports are just nuts in my opinion

sool=cool

Did he land in the ocean? Was his name Bob??

Well that was dumb.