Parasailing Accident: Company Defers Blame After Teen Girls Carried Away By Wind

A parasailing accident that left two young girls adrift in the wind and crashing into a building was the result of “sudden weather conditions” and not negligence, the company that allowed the accident to happen claims.

The owner of the company that took the girls on the parasailing trip has denied his company was at fault, though the company has a history of accidents.

The incident took place Monday in Panama City, Florida. Two 17-year-old girls from Indiana were parasailing when their harness broke free from the boat, sending them flying through the air. The girls, Sidney Renea Good and Alexis Fairchild, hit a balcony, careened into another building, hit a power line, and landed on an SUV in a parking lot.

Video of the parasailing accident surfaced Tuesday, showing a dramatic scene as onlookers watched the girls’ flight.

Karen Parker, a spokesperson with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the two survived the accident, but their parents noted they still have traumatic injuries.

“Sidney has been responsive to caregivers and has been able to use small movements to communicate including a thumbs up for her parents. Alexis had surgery today on her spine and has also been responsive including a small wave at her parents when she returned from surgery.”

On Friday, the parents of the girls updated their condition, with Alexis appearing to make more progress.

“She was able to start walking and as soon as she had seen sid, she was in her room, wanting to hold her hand, then went around and back in her wheelchair again and wanted to go back to see her and sit with her for a bit,” said Michael Fairchild, Alexis’s Father.

Sidney appears to have a longer road to recovery, however.

“For her to just be responding and all lifting a finger and actually being able to move is like walking to us,” said her mother, Amy Good.

The incident uncovered a series of other accidents for the parasailing company, Aquatic Adventures. The company has been involved in a number of negligence cases in the past, settling a lawsuit in 2010 after a woman was hit by a jet ski.

The company’s owner, Jeff Jones, said the parasailing accident was the fault of the sudden summer storm, not negligence on the part of Aquatic Adventures.

“While we adhere to best practices to minimize the risks associated with water sport activities, sudden weather conditions can and do occur,” Jones said.

The company had a very similar parasailing accident in 2009, when two girls from Indiana were torn away from the boat and carried away by the wind. They landed in the water.