Conn. Woman's Parasailing Death Raises Questions About Unregulated Sport - East Idaho News
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Conn. Woman’s Parasailing Death Raises Questions About Unregulated Sport

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GETTY N 081812 ParasailingJPG?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1345304004570iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The family of a Connecticut woman who died parasailing with her husband while on vacation in Florida is reeling from the loss of a young woman with a passion for volunteer work and a deep love for her family. And many are questioning why parasailing is virtually unregulated by federal or Florida state laws.

Kathleen Miskell, 28, was on vacation with her husband Stephen Miskell, 31, in Pompano Beach, Fla., on Wednesday when the couple decided to go parasailing. They took part in an excursion run by WaveBlast Water Sports.

They were parasailing in tandem when Kathleen Miskell’s harness broke and she plummeted about 200 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, according to Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King.

The parasail boat operator reeled in Stephen Miskell, and his wife was found face down in the water. They called 911 and CPR attempts in the boat were unsuccessful. She was in cardiac arrest and transported to Broward Health North in critical condition. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Officials have said the accident was caused by an equipment malfunction. WaveBlast Water Sports did not respond to a request for comment.

The accident has revived the discussion about why parasailing is not regulated by state or federal laws.

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In 2007, 15-year-old Amber White died in a Pompano Beach parasailing accident when her parasail rope broke and she and her sister slammed into a building. Her sister survived.

“As a result of that, the city said, ‘We need to look into who is regulating this industry,’ and quickly found out that no one is,” King, the city spokeswoman, told ABCNews.com. “There’s no one to check the equipment, no one to inspect them…nothing.”

The town proposed a resolution in 2007 asking Florida legislators to adopt regulations for the sport, but it failed in an early committee hearing.

“It fell on deaf ears, basically,” King said. She added that had the legislation been passed, “Maybe this young lady would be alive to enjoy the experience of their vacation, but, instead, this is what happened.”

Right now, the only requirements for parasailing are the U.S. Coast Guard’s approval of the vessel and a boating license. The equipment directly associated with the recreational sport–the harness, the parasail chutes, any towlines–are not regulated.

King said that Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher has already contacted congressmen and state representatives and plans on contacting other city agencies and mayors to really push the issue.

“These deaths aren’t frequent. They’re really infrequent, but two have happened in our town,” King said. “The mayor has vowed that this is not going to happen again.”

Miskell’s death is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We’re going to do a methodical check of each and every part of the harness, the parachute, the ropes, just to try and come to a better, clearer picture of what exactly occurred,” Jorge Pino of the Florida FWC told ABC News’ Miami and Ft. Lauderdale affiliate WPLG.

“Ultimately, our goal is to come up with a conclusion as to why this happened and learn from this so that this won’t happen again,” he said.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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