A man has died following a skydiving accident in South Carolina over the weekend.
The victim, identified as 20-year-old Florida resident Justin Swaggerty, died following a jump at Skydive Carolina in Chester on Saturday, June 6.
According to a statement to WSOC, Swaggerty's free fall portion of the dive was successful, including the deployment of his parachute.
During the landing sequence, the 20-year-old missed his intended target and collided with an aircraft which was stationed on the ground.
"We are devastated by this loss," Skydive Carolina owner Danny Smith said in a statement. "We are a tight knit community living out our passions but losing anyone hurts deeply. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased and our community."
Skydive Carolina said the company is coordinating with authorities following this incident. It added it is closing its operations until further notice as a result of the accident.
Elsewhere, an online fundraising page has been set up to help Swaggerty's family pay for his funeral.
"On June 6th, 2020 Justin Swaggerty passed away from a tragic accident," a description on the GoFundMe page reads.
"He was an aspiring pilot when he passed Justin had so much to give he was a loving son to a single mother Laura. He was a blessing and such a fun loving and joyful person he enjoyed fishing and cooking as hobbies.
"His family needs money for burial funds and other expenses that will arise through this tragedy. Any donation would be appreciated."
Skydive Carolina had only just reopened this month after it was forced to close amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"At long last, we are ready to welcome everyone back and take flight! If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's to not take anything for granted," the company wrote in a June 4 blog post announcing its reopening to the public.
"We love skydiving and it's our goal to be good stewards of our sport, our community, and our guests."
As noted by KIRO, two other deaths have occurred at Skydive Carolina in recent years. In July 2019, a 34-year-old Charlotte woman, described as an experienced diver, died after suffering a "hard landing" during a jump.
A 68-year-old woman, also an experienced diver with more than 15,000 jumps to her name, died at the base in May 2018 as a result of a parachute malfunction.
Skydive Carolina has been contacted for further comment.
