Details about the Ocean Isle parasailing accident that killed Kernersville resident Cynthia Woodcock are emerging as the Coast guard hearing gets underway:
Tom Povazan, who was captain of the boat, described the attempts to rescue the women after the line detached.
As the parachute was blowing along the ocean surface, deckhand Chris Eckert attempted to jump on the parachute to deflate it, but he bounced off.
Povazan drove the boat ahead of the parachute and managed to grab the women, but he was unable to hold on because of the force of the wind. He then retrieved Eckert and chased the chute down again, enabling Eckert to jump on it with a knife to cut some of the chute lines, deflating the parachute.
Eckert attempted to administer CPR to one of the victims while in the water. Povazan, meanwhile, beached the tow boat, but efforts to revive the women were unsuccessful.
Coast Guard officials added this wasn’t a criminal hearing but could help them determine if additional oversight of parasailing businesses is warranted.
