Two teen parasailors slam into oceanside building in Pompano Beach -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
A day of seaside fun turned tragic for two teenage sisters parasailing in Pompano Beach on Saturday when strong winds slammed them into a building and trees, seriously injuring the girls.
The sisters, 16 and 17, were vacationing from the Ocala area, said Sandra King, a spokeswoman for Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue. Both were hospitalized in critical condition; one, if not both, suffered life-threatening injuries, including head trauma, King said.
The sisters were visiting Broward County with a family friend, King said. Authorities did not immediately release the girls' names.
Their family drove down from their North Florida home after the accident, arriving about 9 p.m. The mother, visibly distraught, asked family members to pray with her as they stood briefly in Broward General Medical Center's emergency room waiting area. They declined to give their names.
According to King, the girls went parasailing about 1 p.m. under gray skies. As a boat towed them, they were harnessed to a parachute.
The winds grew stronger, and the boat operator decided to head back to shore, officials said.
A gust then pushed the parachute toward land. With the tow rope still connected to the girls' parachute, the teenagers crashed into the second-story roof of the Beachcomber Resort & Villas, at 1200 S. Ocean Blvd., King said.
The tug of the parachute also dragged the boat ashore, the spokeswoman said.
With the parachute still pulled by the wind, the girls were dragged across the resort roof. At some point, the rope broke.
The girls then fell from the building, and caromed from one palm tree to another. They remained entangled in tree foliage until somebody with a knife came to their rescue, cutting the harness and rope to free them.
Paramedics then arrived. One sister was flown by helicopter to the hospital, and the other was taken by ambulance.
