LODI, Calif. (KTXL) — A woman died Saturday afternoon after her parachute got tangled on the way down from a jump, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said the skydiver tried to deploy her two parachutes following her jump at the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center around 2 p.m. However, the parachutes became entangled with one another.
The woman was later identified as 57-year-old Sabrina Call, an experienced skydiver who had performed roughly 2,000 jumps. Over the past year, Call had performed around 10 to 15 jumps at the Parachute Center in Lodi.
The 57-year-old from Watsonville was married with children, according to the owner of the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center, Bill Dause.
The skydiving facility says a rigger packed Call’s parachutes for her.
No additional details about her death were released.
Both the sheriff’s office and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause.
At least 20 people have died at the business since it opened in 1981.
A few years back, 18-year-old Tyler Turner and his unlicensed instructor died during their jump. Just last month, Turner’s family won a $40 million lawsuit against Skydivers Guild Inc. and Dause.
A representative for the family said one of their goals was to ultimately shut down the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center.
The Lodi skydiving center does not carry insurance and all skydivers sign a waiver releasing all liability, according to Dause.
“Yes, we’ve had our share of fatalities, and probably more than some of the smaller drop zones by a ways,” Dause said. “But none of them have been the same, it’s not the same problem, like somebody drinking bad water all day long. They’ve all been totally different.”
He told FOX40 they do not keep track of how many people skydive at the center every day.
The parachute center was open for business Monday. A spokesperson says they are open seven days a week, and they do not pause or close when there is a death.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.