A 60-year-old skydiver tragically died when his parachute didn’t fully open, leading to a fatal fall, according to officials.
Authorities were alerted around 3 p.m. on November 16 about a parachutist found unresponsive in a field in Boulder County, Colorado.
The man, later identified as Takashi Koyama, was pronounced dead shortly after attempts at CPR were made by emergency responders.
Witnesses reported seeing Koyama in a rapid free fall, spinning several hundred feet above ground, with his parachute seemingly not fully deployed.
One observer, named Daniel, recalled, “I noticed something green on the ground. I thought it looked like a parachute, and there was still a parachute coming down. I see a lot of skydivers every day.”
He then jumped the fence, rushed over, and called 911 while receiving CPR training until paramedics arrived.
The accident took place in a field near Mile High Skydiving Center, where a representative confirmed that the incident coincided with the day’s operations.
Authorities stated that Koyama was certified to skydive solo.
In a heartfelt message on GoFundMe, his son, Shizuka Koyama, described his father as “a wonderful man who cherished both Japan and the United States, and deeply loved and called both Japan and America his home.”
Shizuka, who is studying nursing, shared the painful reality that his mother had also passed away years ago, saying, “I’m the only one left who can handle everything.”
A fundraising effort for Koyama’s cremation and burial in both Japan and the U.S., as a “tribute to a life lived to the fullest,” has raised over $1,300 toward a goal of $7,000.
