Free Republic

Supraja Alaparthi, 33, was killed and her son, Sriakshith Alaparthi, 10, and nephew, Vishant Sadda, 9 were injured after the parasail they were riding hurtled into the Old Seven Mile Bridge. The family was visiting the Florida Keys from Schaumburg, Illinois. The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. Monday as a cluster of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms pushed off the mainland. Wind gusts in the area were up to 28 knots, or about 32 mph, according to Jonathan Rizzo, National Weather Service Key West’s warning coordinator meteorologist. Authorities investigating the case say the wind caused the parasail to peg....

ISLE OF PALMS — Pauline Sherman's doctor said that at 96 years old, she would have to find something to die from because he couldn't find anything wrong with her. So she decided to go parasailing. "I was with my grandchildren, and we were watching people do it at the beach," said Sherman, who will turn 97 next month. "I said that looked like fun and I might like to try it." That's when Regina Ford of Mount Pleasant, Sherman's granddaughter, put the wheels in motion for what turned out to be the ride of a lifetime Monday afternoon.

The parents of a 10-year-old British boy who was killed while parasailing in Dubai yesterday described how their son had happily waved to them moments before a freak gust blew him into the minaret of a mosque. Tony Loyden, the couple's only child, died after the rope attaching him to a speedboat snapped and he crashed into the building. His parents, Tony and Patsy, were on the boat as the parachute became detached and their son drifted inland. The weather had initially been calm when the family began the trip at 9.15am.