The Coast Guard says severe weather and the boat being too far from shore were “substantial factors” in a July 1 parasailing accident that injured two teens.
The Coast Guard’s preliminary investigation found the Why Not boat from which Alexis Fairchild and Sidney Good launched was about 300 yards from shore when the rope of the parasail the girls were riding broke.
Alexis and Sidney crashed into a Panama City Beach, Fla., condominium, fell through power lines and landed on top of cars in the condominium parking lot.
“While there are no regulations that prescribe specific weather parameters for parasail operations,” the Coast Guard report says, “the Coast Guard is urging mariners to carefully monitor prevailing and predicted weather conditions and tailor operations accordingly.”
