Officials have identified the man killed in a skydiving accident last month in Perris.
Pascal Pierre Petein, 57, a resident of Punaauia, Tahiti, died on May 28, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
That day at about 2:30 p.m., a group of friends visiting Skydive Perris were jumping together, according to a Skydive Perris news release. All three landed under good parachutes but two people collided with each other during the freefall.
One jumper was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics and the other was hospitalized with serious injuries, according to the release. An investigation is underway.
“Skydive Perris offers its sincerest condolences to the individual’s family and politely asks for privacy as we mourn together as a community,” according to the statement.
The Riverside County Fire Department confirmed that firefighters responded to the scene near the 600 block of East Ellis Avenue. Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the emergency and found the dead skydiver in a field on the east side of the 215 Freeway.
In 2024, an instructor and a student with Skydive Perris died when they encountered a “dust devil,” a rotation of hot air and dirt that resembles a mini tornado, that sent them slamming into the ground.
Skydiving fatalities are rare, according to data from the United States Parachute Assn. Last year, its members reported making 3.47 million skydives. In the same year, there were a total of 16 skydiving fatalities recorded in the United States.
Staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
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