Skydiver Killed at Embattled Lodi Parachute Center After Landing on Nearby Highway

A 28-year-old woman skydiving from the Lodi Parachute Center was killed on Thursday after landing on a nearby highway and being struck by a truck. Witnesses claim the woman fell from the sky onto East Jahant Road around 2:15 pm and either landed on the truck or was struck by it in some way.

Authorities have not released the identity of the skydiver. The incident forced a closure of the roadway on Thursday afternoon.

The skydiver was from Colombia and jumping with seven other people. It is believed that windy conditions blew her off course, eventually causing the collision with the big rig. The area was reportedly experiencing “very windy” conditions:

The death becomes the 20th at the Lodi Parachute Center since it opened in the early 1980’s and another incident at an already infamous skydiving center in Northern California.

In 2016, 20 instructors at the skydiving facility were suspended and 120 more were deemed to need more training by the U.S. Parachute Association. In 2018, agents raided the facility and seized records amidst a federal investigation.

The organization has been accused of lax training and has seen 17 deaths since 2000, and 5 skydivers who have learned to skydive at the school have died in the past three years. Authorities have investigated all of the incidents and found no violations.

There was also the incident of the plane crashing near the facility full of 17 skydivers and one pilot, none of which received life-threatening injuries. Here is a video of the plane crash:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1485501014821089

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Telling the Stories of Northern California

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