A severe accident happened in Florida during storm Fay.

Strong onshore winds with extreme strong gusts hit a kiter standing on the beach and lofted him two times. All caught on tape.

Watch this and learn from his mistakes, he did several.

See the video here:
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=60523@wfor.dayport.com

Now we are just hoping, that he stays alive, read updates and follow the discussion with advice and exact reports here:
http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2350660

Be safe.

Is he OK?

According to the CBS page: ..."Critical condition,but expected to make full recovery"
Sounds contradictory to me but...

Kiteboarder accident makes it on CNN Morning show.

Looks like he has both hands on the same side of the bar? Sucks that it's all over cnn. Get ready Florida looks like your days are numbered.

Why does kiteboarding get banned at beaches? Because of this shit. It sucks that he got hurt, but come on, kite boarding during hurricane conditions? Are all of you out of your fucking minds!?

People will always try to push the limits.

I have also been one of the idiots who have kites in severe Storm conditions. I have learnt how fast one can get lofted and dragged a few hundred meters.

However I have to say, after looking at the footage. That the spot was dangerous because of the Buildings downwind.

I can understand taking chances, but you should at least try to keep the risks to a minimum when doing so.

Kiting in super strong gusty winds upwind of a road and buildings is seriously dangerous and I hope some of the hotdog kiters out there can learn something from this.

Besides this one thing I have noticed is the high number of Fatalities this year. Especially Tarifa has been quite a hotspot. But there have been quite a few.

Maybe the "Bow" kites are more of a curse to the sport than a blessing. They have made it easier to kite, but they do give a lot of kiters a false sense of security. Just my 2 cents.

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Gunnar

I don´t understand why they ban kiting after an Accident.

Why not Ban Alcohol? Thousands die from Alcohol related accidents, etc.
If we think like this, why not ban Bicycle riding? I remember reading most paraplegics are from Bike accidents.
Why not Ban swimming (pools, lakes, ocean)? Thousands drown every year.
Why not Ban Dog and Bees? Thousands die each year from Bee stings and Dog Bites.

Etc, etc, etc.

Take the accident for what it is, a solitary reaction to decision (good or bad).

Hope he recovers, please don´t start with the Banning Crusade.

And whoever has not been lofted, stop it with the "He should have....", it is very easy to criticize from the comfort of your computer. I have been lofted and had no warning (blue sky, clear day, steady wind), there was absolutely no time to react.

Andy

Andres...i totally agree with your thinking...but truth is: people will be people and kiting's been banned before so they'll do it again. i don't really know how to phrase it.

CRAZY SHIT