Parachutist hangs on lamppost for days

A parachutist hanging on a lamppost in Granada remained unnoticed for days.

The military parachutist in Granada was discovered by people passing by on a Friday evening shortly after he dropped down. The local fire department was called to rescue the unfortunate. A department spokesman announced that the rescue operation would start immediately after the weekend. Budget cuts, enforced on the department by the local government, prevented them to work during the weekend. Moreover, the present crew was already in action to save a cat in a tree. The local police secured the scene of the accident with a crew of eight policemen. The team worked in shifts during the weekend to control eventual disaster tourism. The cost of approximately € 8.000 will be carried by the municipality of Granada.

Three days later, on Monday, the parachutist was released from the lamppost and transported to the military hospital. There the doctors declared him to be deceased. A military spokesman complained about the long delay and said he sometimes longed back to the days when the military had a license to operate in the city.

The number of incidents with skydiving fatalities is growing slowly but steadily. A special investigation report on the safety of parachute jump operations identifies the following recurring safety issues: inadequate aircraft inspection and maintenance; pilot performance deficiencies in basic airmanship tasks, such as preflight inspections, weight and balance calculations, and emergency and recovery procedures; and inadequate oversight and direct surveillance of parachute operations.

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