3rd Ave - Kiter accident at upper launch

[marina]

Very sorry to hear about Lyn. Met him as a competitor of the La Ventana Classic. Great spirit, athlete, charger, attitude. Wishing him the best in his recovery efforts....

[Sonny]

I agree that it can really happen to any of us at any moment no matter how long you've been at the game. I had a failed self-land earlier in the year at OB that left me getting dragged a bit in a kite loop that was only stopped by a lucky QR reflex from turning into a worse situation.

I remember a few years ago at 3rd I saw a guy slip on the mud, lose it, and get dragged into the rocks - stopping about a foot short from a huge piece of rebar sticking out of what looked like a concrete block rock pointed at his body. Definitely must approach a mudfest slippery launch like 3rd with "one hand on the trigger [of the QR]"

With regard to lulls and re-powering, the old Kirk saying "rig for the gusts, not for the lulls" has always served me pretty well. It's a lot easier to recover a quick, responsive, fast bumble bee 7m into a controllable zone than a 10m (or bigger for those of you rigging for the lulls) hindenburg that is transforming into a rocketship by a gust after falling back. A surfboard and a tiny kite can go a long way on those awesome(?) 10 gusting 30 days. I wish this guy a fast recovery it is awful when things like this happen. Everybody be safe out there

When I slip on the mud at the upper launch, I just let go of the bar and regain my balance. I don't want to accidentally yank on the bar. When you let go of the bar , worst thing happens is that the kite gentally falls.

[knyfe]

extremely sorry to hear. Saw a guy going the same a few years back on the upper launch.

After 15 years of kiteboarding I can only advise: Release - release - release !!!

Never try to rescue ANYTHING on land. Especially not upper launch where a lot of people even start a few feet away from the rocks. I ALWAYS set up at the upper most rim of the pad. Gives you the largest space - just in case...

G

[usa4]

Lyn is at Stanford hospital with a broken wrist, a broken back, and a broken pelvis. He is awake and talking, but no visitors except family

[imish]

Glad to hear is talking and awake.
I was taking my 2nd water lesson that day and saw the Ambulance on shore while I was out. The advice of everyone in this thread is definitely appreciated as I get underway on my own.

[WindMuch]

With regard to lulls and re-powering, the old Kirk saying "rig for the gusts, not for the lulls" has always served me pretty well.

Geez Phil - I'm not THAT old! ";

Best to Lyn for a fast recovery. Shall we put together a card and swing it by 3rd Ave some windy day for everyone to sign? Sounds like someone here on the forum knows him and/or is visiting regularly at the hospital?

Kirk out

[marinkiter]

Lyn is at Stanford hospital with a broken wrist, a broken back, and a broken pelvis. He is awake and talking, but no visitors except family

Wow. The wrist injury was obvious but you would not have known he had a broken back or pelvis. He was sitting up and moving around and we had to keep coaxing him to not stand up and leave. He didn't want the attention and did not want to stick around for the paramedics. Not totally uncommon with people in shock but I also think many of us kiters have a self-reliance streak that can border on absurdity at times. If things do go bad and you yard sale across the launch, don't be in a hurry to get up and please try to accept the help of the community. It's worth repeating; shit can go haywire for any one of us on the wrong day and there is no shame in accepting help.

[finfirst]

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER

One of the posts mentioned the difficulty in getting the 9-1-1 dispatcher to understand the 3rd Avenue Kite area. Several days ago there was a public meeting in the 3rd Ave parking lot held by the Foster City Parks Department regarding the renovations and improvements to the rigging areas, parking lot, fencing, signage, etc...

There were several sample signs shown to the attendees for consideration. One of the signs listed an emergency phone number not 911- (I don't remember the number but it is very likely the phone number attached below). A question arose concerning the phone number and it was relayed that 911 calls go to Vallejo.

Here is the city link and an associated quote:

http://www.fostercity.org/fire/Emergenc ... es-FAQ.cfm

Where does my call go when I dial 9-1-1?
By law, all emergency 9-1-1 calls must go to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in the city in which the call was placed. Your calls are answered by dispatchers in the Foster City Police station. If your emergency is of a fire, rescue, or medical nature, it is then transferred to the Public Safety Communications center in Redwood City for dispatch of the closest fire unit to you.

More information on Fire Department Dispatching <-Link


What is the seven digit emergency telephone number in Foster City?
When you make an emergency call from your cell phone in the Bay Area, the call is answered by California Highway Patrol dispatchers in Vallejo. This can mean that your call takes longer to route and, thus, emergency help can be delayed. You can avoid this delay by using the direct dispatch center emergency number: (650) 573-3333.

[victor]

i was there on thursday and left before the incident. it was very up and down. first went out around 2:30 on an 8.5 which wasn't working, came back, pumped up a 10 but the wind came back up by the time i was in the water. i spent an uncomfortable half hour looking for a mellow area and then headed back. meanwhile the wind dropped and I was golden for the rest of the session.

evidently the wind came up again. i was folding up my kite when the previously mentioned guy pulled his qr and that kite almost hit me before troybo13 caught it.

i slipped in the mud launching there last year and got dragged towards those rock. fortunately my kite hit the fence and i stopped short of them. there isn't a lot of time to get a hand on the qr in those situations.

i generally land fully depowered, mainly in case i should be depowered the next time i launch. it's a lot easier make the necessary adjustments while the kite is flying. i always wear a helmet.

[dgrissom]

So sorry to to hear about this unfortunate incident, I wish him a fast and complete recovery.
Have witnessed first hand many "close calls" at Third Ave with those rocks.....in each case letting go of the bar was the answer.

This was posted by a previous poster. "My understanding was that this was his first time flying that particular kite and bar, so inexperience with his equipment could have played a part."

Have talked to a couple kiters who've had bad launch incidents, in each case they were using a new kite and bar. If something is not tuned or rigged right bad things can happen, and happen fast. Or it might be new de-power system you are not accustomed to. IMHO it is best to work out any kinks on a big sandy open beach with no rocks, beachgoers, etc, nearby if you can find such a location in your area. That's my two cents anyway.