A BOY injured in a skydiving accident at Goulburn Airport last Saturday week remains in a stable condition, according to an instructor.
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Chief instructor with Adrenalin Skydive, Yakoov Bokay, said he’d been in regular contact with the 14-year-old Canberra boy’s family at Westmead Hospital.
Mr Bokay told the Post yesterday that Elijah Arranz was expected to be brought out of an induced coma on Friday. Tests had revealed he hadn’t suffered any brain damage or major broken bones that required surgery.
“He’s very lucky,” Mr Bokay said. He has no doubt that good fortune was the result of instructor Tony Rokov’s final actions before the pair hit the ground in the tandem jump.
Mr Bokay has blamed a freak wind for collapsing the canopy and plummeting them five to 10 metres to the ground. Mr Rokov, an experienced, ex-military skydiving instructor, died at the scene.
“I could tell from the way they landed that Tony twisted his body to protect the boy,” Mr Yakoov said.
Meantime, staff and fellow instructors at Adrenalin Skydive, are being offered counselling. Mr Yakoov said two or three members were “taking it really hard.”
Asked how he was faring, he said he was still busy dealing with the two families and investigators.
“I don’t know what was worse - dealing with the fatality and doing CPR or talking to Tony’s wife and kids the next day,” Mr Yakoov said.
Police informed the family on the day of the accident but Mr Yakoov has been on hand to answer any questions.
Police and the Australian Parachuting Federation are investigating the accident.
Adrenalin Skydive held a debrief following Saturday’s fatality but Mr Yakoov would not go into details while the authorities’ investigation was underway.
Skydiving resumed at the airport on Sunday but was suspended yesterday due to strong winds.