"Worry ... disappointment ... fear... and then sorrow. Definitely sorrow," were the emotions that "Big Steve" Haseman felt when he saw his friend, and longtime skydiver, Rodrigo V. Bianchini's fatal plunge.
Bianchini, from Alpharetta, died Saturday morning after misjudging his landing and hitting a body of water full-force. He died from the impact, said Tony Brazier, Polk County deputy coroner.
Bianchini is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, his daughter, Larissa Pinto, 14, and his son, Gabriel, 4. Bianchini was an engineer at Philips Electronics for more than 16 years.
The 41-year-old was an experienced diver who followed all safety precautions that day, said Haseman, safety training adviser and tandem instructor for Skydive the Farm near Rockmart, where the accident occurred.
"It was an error in judgment," Haseman said. "We make them in cars. We make them walking down stairs. [But] this had [fatal consequences]."
In addition to Haseman and Bianchini, there were about 17 other people skydiving that morning -- two were inexperienced divers.
Haseman, who works part-time at Skydive the Farm, was about 2,000 feet above Bianchini, also a part-time employee, when Bianchini hit the water.
Bianchini was approaching his landing when he made the "error" in judgment, said Haseman. As he made a turn to set up his landing, Haseman believes Bianchini's plan was to slow down and drag his toes through the water, as many divers do, and land safely on the grass bank. The turn attempt began too low and the parachute did not have enough time to respond, causing Bianchini to hit the water at near full speed, said Haseman.
Three people were at Bianchini's side within 30 seconds, Haseman said.
Skydive The Farm worker Cindy Brown was one of them and, according to the police report, said Bianchini was "moaning" when she reached him in the water. The police report said it appeared Bianchini hit the water at about 40 to 50 mph. There were no external injuries and the coroner believes the death was likely a result of both neck and heart injuries from the impact.
Despite the fatality, Haseman says skydiving is not dangerous.
"It has become more safe in the last 20 years," he said. "There are less [skydiving] fatalities in the U.S. in the year than [car wreck fatalities] in Atlanta on a holiday weekend."
There are 2.5 million skydives a year in the U.S. and only about 15 fatalities, most of whom are experienced divers, Haseman said.
In response to this accident, Haseman said he will continue to teach skydivers to be aware of their surroundings.
Bianchini had more than 2,000 jumps under his belt.
"He was enthusiastic, happy, a pleasure to be around," said Haseman. "[Bianchini] loved working with inexperienced skydivers. He liked being a teacher."
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