Parachutists killed in midair over Lake Elsinore identified

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KESQ) - Two female skydivers killed in a midair collision over Lake Elsinore were identified today, while the skydiving company that handled the dive said the women had fully functioning equipment with no indication of mechanical failure.

The accident was reported at about 11:45 a.m. Friday in the airspace over Skydive Elsinore, near the intersection of Corydon Road and Cereal Street at the south end of the lake, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Fire department crews responded to the area after receiving reports of the collision. They found 29-year-old Levi Pimentel of Illinois and 56-year-old Georgia Jean of South Dakota with life-threatening injuries after their parachutes became entangled on their approach to the ground. It was unclear whether either was conscious.   

The women were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in nearby Wildomar, where both died Friday afternoon.   

"Eyewitnesses report that the freefall portion of the jump was normal and uneventful, and that both skydivers opened their parachutes at the expected altitude'' Josh Hall of Skydive Elsinore said in a news release later in the day. "The two skydivers collided at approximately 150 feet above the ground. The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground."  

Hall added that both women were experienced, licensed skydivers visiting from out of town to take part in an organized event at the facility.   

"... Skydive Elsinore extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of both skydivers, and is grieving alongside all those affected,'' the company continued.

Northeast winds were present all day in the Inland Empire, gusting to 20 mph near March Air Reserve Base, about 14 miles east of Lake Elsinore. It is unknown whether wind was a factor.  

Skydive Elsinore operates out of an unpaved airfield that is used primarily by the business.  

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said the Federal Aviation Administration was notified and will collect the skydivers' parachutes for further investigation.