My First Bad Kiting Accident

[Big Al]

I've been kiting since 2002 and have been very fortunate to have not had any major kiting incidents...until last week.

I was in New Zealand on vacation and met up with an old friend who lent me his kiting gear. It was a beautiful day, sunny, windy (about 24mph) and nice spot with only a couple other kiters on the water. I rigged up the kite, put on my wetsuit and went to launch the kite. The next thing I remember is waking up in an ambulance on the way to the ER.

Although I have no recollection of what exactly happened, from what I gathered, I launched the kite (11m SS Fuel) with the stopper ball ('05 Slingshot bar) pulled 3/4 of the way down towards the CL, limiting the amount of sheeting on the kite and it's ability to de-power. When I launched the kite, I was immediately over powered and got slammed into a guard rail, which I either hit with my head or hit with my leg and slammed my head against the ground. My wife was the first person to respond to me and her first thought was that I was dead as I laid motionless on the ground.

The damage - I was knocked unconscious for about 30 seconds, got cuts over my right eye and on my chin (4 stitches) and have various bruises all over my body. I now have a huge black eye and can't do any sports for at least a month.

My two big mistakes were not wearing a helmet and not properly checking my gear before launching. I'm not use to kiting with a stopper ball, so it didn't occur to me to check for it, but I still know better than that. I normally wear a helmet when kiting at home, but just didn't pack one on this trip. I will never kite again without a helmet, it's just not worth it. You can never be too careful....

After my wife realized it wasn't too serious, she took a few pictures of the aftermath. Warning, some of the pictures are a bit bloody, so don't click on this link if that makes you uneasy.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9ij ... &y=-8cuwe7

[OliverG]

Jesus Al,

Glad to hear that you're OK and that you only sustained what appear to be superficial injuries with no lasting effects other than looking like Rocky for a bit (Hello Rocko!) After you launched, did the kite fly up through the window fast? Did you subsequently lose control or did it fly to the other side of the window yarding you and draggin you into the guardrail?

It sounds like the stopper ball which limited your depower was the main issue. In powered conditions, launching is always the most dangerous part of the session. Being aware of your safety and being ready to pull it is important for sure.

One word of advice for all new (and complacent) kiters, you may already know this, but when launching your kite in any conditions, but especially strong and windy conditions, you need to be sheeted in to maintain steering and control of your kite, but as soon as your kite is released and starts flying up to zenith, sheet out to depower - always. Al's an experienced kiter and I'm sure he would have been OK had it not been for an errantly adjusted stopper ball limiting his ability to depower upon launching.

So - be ready with your safety and sheet out when your kite has been released and is flying up to zenith. Strong conditions can cause your kite to fly up very fast and powered upon launching, but keeping an eye on it and sheeting out while it's heading up will enable you to keep things in check and in control. Then head out to the water asap.

Al, glad to hear you are basically OK and looking forward to seeing you back on the water when you're ready and the wind is good.

Ollie

[Big Al]

Thanks Ollie. I have no recollection of the incident so I have no idea how the kite flew??? I am almost certain that the stopper ball was the main issue though.

I just wanted to share my bad experience with everyone to reinforce how dangerous this sport can be. All it takes is one time not paying attention to a minor detail like a stopper ball and you could end up having a really bad day.

[panzerfaust]

Holly crap man, I'm really sorry to hear that and I hope your recovery is super fast. This is one of the reasons why I never borrow kites from anyone I haven't seen flying the kite I'm about to borrow. Scarry. Good luck.

[zgur]

Al,

:shock:

I'm glad that you survived this accident and are able to talk about it. Take care of head injuries, as they are quite serious. You can fix all your periphirals - arms, legs, etc., but when you mess up the CPU, it's more of an issue. They are hard to fix, and no upgrades are available.

When you feel like it, please share with us where in New Zealand you went kiting. I am planning a vacation there next year, and would love to know the scoop from someone who just went.

Good winds, Zeev.

[Bulldog]

The helmet issue is an interesting one. I think anyone who has had an accident on land wears a helmet.

Anyone who thinks it can't happen to them is just throwing the dice.

[adamrod]

Yeah. I can't kite without a helmet anymore. it just feels weird. i wear:
http://www.shredready.com/products/shaggy.html#

plus, you can get a cosmetic second for $85. It's still a lot of money, but considering how much i've invested in my brain (college, graduate school), $85 isn't really all that much.

[narly1]

at least you got your teeth.
o and thats a nice look on you young man
you a ,into fight cluB?

i love ya, al.
take care and speedy recovery.

[ricki]

Hello Al,

Congratulations on coming through a nasty accident without more severe injury. I was wondering where the kite was pointing when you launched, toward the water or towards the area of the rail you ended up impacting? The abruptness of the accident almost sounds like crossed lines although I don't doubt insufficient ability to sheet out in overpowered conditions might not do the same thing. Thanks for sharing the photos as well. It is a rare gesture but one that seems to help people focus on what you are saying and the hard lessons to come out of the accident.

Take care,

Rick

[Big Al]

Hey Rick,

I can't quite remember every detail, but I'm almost fairly certain that I was pointing my kite towards the water as the wind was blowing side shore. The guard rails in the photos are dead downwind from where I launched and I can't imagine that I would've done a hot launch.

My first thought was also that I crossed my lines, but upon close inspection the following day, there's no way that could've happened as the bar and kite had "kook proof" connectors, which were set up correctly.

The only other factor that could've contributed is that whomever launched my kite let go before I gave the signal and caused me to lose control. However, I doubt that was the case. I think the lack of depower caused by the stopper ball was the lone cause for me losing control.

Zeev - I'll do a New Zealand write-up in a couple days.