The US Navy may want to pony up some funds and could be looking at a lawsuit after a Fleet Week incident in which a parachutist crash-landed on a mother and daughter on Marina Green.
The incident happened on October 13, at the end of Fleet Week, when six members of the Navy's Leap Frogs parachutists' group were set to land in a designated, cordoned-off rectangle of Marina Green, which was surrounded by air show spectators.
One parachutist misjudged the landing or got blown off-course, and he landed twenty or so feet outside the landing zone, on top of two spectators. Those spectators were a mother and daughter who had just moved to SF from the Philippines.
The crash was captured on multiple cellphone videos, including a first-person one seen below, shot by teenage victim Millicent "Mia" DeGuzman.
Mia's mother, Jhoanna, who was seated next to her, suffered a concussion and bruising, as the family has now shared. But 17-year-old Mia's injuries were more serious, and it's possible she will never be able to do certain activities again.
Mia suffered a broken pelvis, with two pelvis fractures, and now has screws in place holding her pelvis together. Doctors have said hers will be a lengthy recovery.
The family has gone to the media, it seems, seeking out some sort of settlement from the Navy, or something, and they are not yet filing a lawsuit.
As the Chronicle reports, attorney Tanya Gomerman, with the firm Gomerman, Bourn & Associates, put out the statements from the family, noting that the DeGuzmans are facing "a mountain of medical bills."
"This was my first airshow and I had no idea I was in danger," Mia DeGuzman sasy in a statement. "Now I can’t move without their help and doctors say I may never be able to do the things I once could."
DeGuzman and her mother were seated on a blanket, while her father and brother were seated in folding chairs behind them, when the crash occurred. You can see the crash from another angle here.
"There is no doubt that this is not what this parachutist or the Navy wanted to happen, but regrettably a young woman was injured," Gomerman says in a statement. "It’s a tragic incident that raises questions about safety protocols and accountability at events involving such high-risk displays."
The Navy has not yet responded to the family's story. At the time of the incident, the Navy only said, "Our thoughts are with the individuals and their family," and, "We cannot immediately assess what happened; however, we will review this incident to determine the cause."
Previously: Navy Parachutist Crash-Lands Into Spectators at Marina Green