Court finds a late wingnut with a wing-suit death wish bears no posthumous fault.

So what's next: a suicide jumper's estate successfully suing a skyscraper's architect?

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
===================
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2023/11/22/pilot-decapitated-skydiver/71681485007/

radioactiveseattle@gmail.com wrote:

>Court finds a late wingnut with a wing-suit death wish bears no
>posthumous fault.

>So what's next: a suicide jumper's estate successfully suing a
>skyscraper's architect?

>BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
>===================
>https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2023/11/22/pilot-decapitated-skydiver/71681485007/

I see nothing that says there was a finding that the skydiver was not at
fault. It's absolutely clear from the result that there wasn't clear
communication between pilot and skydiver. Yes, I understand that the
pilot didn't expect the skydiver to be on that course but unless both
men clearly understand that immediately after jumping, the diver was to
head in a specific direction to get clear of the plane, then failure to
communicate is the underlying cause.

I'm not following at all why the pilot was found to have committed a
manslaughter.

First time I've heard of wingsuits.

As usual, you're right (and I'm wrong) on about the court's specific judgment, Adam; better communication might have indeed averted this.

But if I were the pilot's attorney, I would have argued the pilot's attention was rightfully focussed on flying the plane properly to ensure the safety of the other skydivers still aboard. (Or if there were none--wingsuit guys often are the only one up there with them--then the pilot's OWN safety in keeping the aircraft on an even keel was understandably his priority. After all, the wingsuiter's colliding with, say, the tail stabilizers would have killed BOTH of them.)

STYBLE/Florida

radioactiveseattle@gmail.com wrote:

>. . .

>But if I were the pilot's attorney, I would have argued the pilot's
>attention was rightfully focussed on flying the plane properly to ensure
>the safety of the other skydivers still aboard. (Or if there were
>none--wingsuit guys often are the only one up there with them--then the
>pilot's OWN safety in keeping the aircraft on an even keel was
>understandably his priority. After all, the wingsuiter's colliding
>with, say, the tail stabilizers would have killed BOTH of them.)

Yes, I agree. From the article, it wasn't clear to me at all why the
pilot was convicted of manslaughter. But there can be instances in which
the captain of a vessel who has failed to follow operating and safety
protocols can have criminal responsibility. It's possible that applies
here. For instance, a passenger is legally obliged to obey the captain's
orders with regard to operations and safety. If a skydiver was ordered
to delay his jump but disregarded the captain's lawful instructions, then
the skydiver committed an illegal act and the captain isn't at fault for
subsequent injury.

In this case, there is failure of the captain to have given lawful
instruction but I'm not sure how that that made the accidental death a
manslaughter.

The finding at autopsy surely would have been accidental and not
homicide, right?

Y'know, it would have been a nice flourish if the late wingsuit guy had--rather than going with the US paratroopers' standard "Geronimo!" exit line--thought to shout, "Louis XVI ! "

STYBLE/Florida

Sorry to scandalize any of y'all with my gag immediately above; I normally don't joke about death.

But anyone trying the wingsuit lunacy is INVITING it, no?

STYBLE/Florida