NEWS - Kevin Recovers!
 

Kevin Kearney underwent a violent lofting during a squall from Tropical Storm Fay early the evening of August 18, 2008. Images from this startling accident were captured by a TV news cameraman as Kevin was repeatedly lofted and flew overhead as rain pounded down. The rain spattered clip was carried by news services and websites worldwide. Many wondered how anyone could survive such a high speed flight into a hard landscape. Amazingly, Kevin has regained consciousness and is responding after just three days in hospital and has been transfered from the Intensive Care Unit. We hope this very rapid healing continues leading to his full recovery.

Best wishes to Kevin, his family and friends!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/kevinkite_org_s.jpg
CLICK BANNER TO GO TO DONATION SITE AND FOR UPDATES ON KEVIN'S PROGRESS

Please pass along your good wishes for Kevin's rapid healing!

Get well soon! The winter will be here before you know it. :D

Sending prayers and positive karma for a speedy recovery.

Best wishes to Kevin for a full and speedy recovery! And to all those who sent out prayers and good thoughts, especially his family and friends, you know that good karma is headin' your way!

You can feel confident that your accident will save many lives...get well soon!

Get well soon man.

Final Kevin's update
 

Kevin was discharged yesterday from the hospital yesterday. He is such a go getter, lets hope we can keep his energy level low enough that he can rest and recover fully at home :p

Thanks again everyone, we will remember this event till the day we stop kiting.

Finally, Kudos to Brad who mentions that Kevin's experience will keep future kiters safer.

See you this fall !!

Katy

Amazing news, congratulations! Please pass along our best wishes to Kevin. Yes, I hope others take a good look at his hard won experience and benefit from it. Great news again!

I'm sure that with that amazing footage there will be media wanting to do interviews with Kevin. I'm glad to hear he is doing better and recovering faster than anyone would expect.

-Chris

Very true. Get better soon Kevin. Everyone at Kiteworld is rooting for you!

Brian

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/kevinkite_org_s.jpg
CLICK BANNER TO GO TO DONATION SITE AND FOR UPDATES ON KEVIN'S PROGRESS

Let's dig deep for donations and help Kevin out!

Kitesurfer doesn't remember his brush with Fay
By Rafael A. Olmeda | SunSentinel.com
9:19 AM EDT, August 22, 2008


Fort Lauderdale - Kevin Kearney remembers heading out to Fort Lauderdale beach Monday afternoon. He remembers kite surfing.

As for the harrowing moments when he was caught by a wind gust from Tropical Storm Fay, dropped into the sand, picked up and slammed into a nearby restaurant?

"I don't actually remember it happening," said Kearney, 28, in a telephone interview this morning.

Kearney was released from Broward General Medical Center Thursday. He said he got "some stitches in my head" and some body aches but otherwise felt OK, and lucky. "I'm glad I don't hurt that bad," he said.


Kearney said he hadn't been able to engage in kite surfing for a couple of weeks before Monday because winds were weak. He is an experienced kite surfer who has taught the sport to others in the Florida Keys, his mother, Alicia Paradise-Garza, said Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Fay, which was approaching and then striking the Keys on Monday, looked like a good opportunity to take advantage of some wind.

Lifeguards had advised Kearney and other kite surfers to leave the beach because of threatening weather, and they were complying, said Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Lt. Gio Serrano. Kearney came ashore south of Las Olas Boulevard and was preparing to take off his equipment when the wind suddenly kicked up.

"I guess I caught an updraft of the wind," Kearney said.

Video taken by a television news crew shows the wind caught Kearney and whipped him off the ground too quickly for anyone to do anything other than stare in shock.

When he first saw the video, Kearney thought, "That's interesting. I don't remember that."

Right now, Kearney said he's "feeling fine; a little tired. I ache a lot."

Staff Writers Joel Marino and John Holland contributed to this report.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...,7581878.story


It is a common enough thing with head impacts to lose memory around the accident. Keep on healing there Kevin.

Get well soon Kevin.

kevinkite.org donations
 

I have decided to donate the money given to me from that donation website to a kite-beach cause.

I have received almost enough from tv coverage (one of which I don't remember) to pay my medical bills.

Anyway I would like the money to go toward setup costs for a new kite beach or toward costs associated with existing kite beaches.
I am unfamiliar with costs and processes, which is why I am posting to find where I should donate. If there is a better kite cause than I have suggested I am open to change it. Looking for something simple that will help the sport.

Thanks everyone hopefully my attempt to justify any negative impact is well received.

Recovery was fast but I'm still a little slow to remember things, still don't remember that day. I had some interesting finds which lead me to believe a bridle pulley connected to leading line on my 9m trix broke while I was 25 feet in the air. (pulley was missing after the accident but the bridle lines were still in-tact and connected to kite)

To my friends who were supportive thanks its been a mentally tough trip. :D

www.kb4c.org

:cool:

Kevin glad you are recovering.

Just trying to understand, you are not blaming the pulley are you? You do understand that was your fault for being in such bad weather. Just want to make sure this is not blamed on a kite and give people the wrong impresion.

Again, i am glad you survived, i just hope lessons were learned , you were lucky.

Aloha

no I am not blaming the kite I am probably lucky to fall on the sand after the big gust rather than being taken higher. Just putting pieces together man

Nice this is the first time I've seen this fundraiser I like it

Glad you're feeling better Kevin. It is normal for people that have had a head bashing and memory loss to wonder what happened. In your case there has been a lot of information generated tying down some of the loose ends. Time heals most things, keep at it. Lots of us have supported www.kb4c.org over the two years they have been around. The organization is plugged into a number of main stream cancer charities. Good suggestion John.

First off I am glad you have recovered however let me take a second to help you put the pieces together.

You went out on a day you should not have been out in, PERIOD! I woke up, checked the radar and quickly proceeded to find an alternate plan for the day (something you should try next time). Note, I rode the day before the incident and the day after, both keeping a SHARP eye on the surrounding conditions, putting it down way before ANY dark lines came in. There were many of us that were upset at the bad publicity created by your event, but I and many others held are tongue and hoped for a full recovery. But to see this after the recovery http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5647429&page=1 "the 28-year-old said he would "definitely" go kite-boarding during a tropical storm again" and have people come up to me and ask "Are all kiters that ****ing stupid". That strait up pissed me off, however I am glad to here all your stupidity in front of the camera paid for your medical bills. Make sure you call ABC before you head out in the next storm so they can get even better footage, maybe even multiple angles.

Come on man, You had a chance to publicly explain the sport and how normally it is much safer sport and you made a STUPID mistake by going out on that day. But know rather than try to get some respect back from the Kiteboarding community you look like a complete ass and try to justify your actions? I should have come in a bit earlier and I regret it a little bit is all you had to say? Not I should not have been out at all that day. Not that you should have understood and practiced the safety system more and activated it instantly rather than hang on the bar (both before and after the first hit on the sand). Nope you are gonna say "I'm hardcore, I'll do it again" and make us all look like asses.

And now you start talking about the possibly of it being the KITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on man; just admit you make a stupid mistake. You have done more than enough to make the sport look bad lets not start blaming kites, imagine if you were on a 04 C kite?

This sport has come a long way and you set it back, good job man, next time a camera is on you say something smart are just STFU and please do not start trying to justify things on the forums. So here is the official breakdown

You = Stubborn Unsafe Dumbass
Tropical Storm = Violent Low Pressure System Capable of throwing violent gusts

You + Tropical Storm = Massive Injury or Death


Go out in conditions you can handle, and the middle of a tropical storm is a place where no one should be, There were almost NO gaps in the bands that day, and with the constant cloud cover it makes bands VERY hard to see... until it is too late.

Sorry for the rant, it is the follow up on ABC that really got under my skin... and now to see you bring up the kite..... Man you got balls. Just want you to know that EVERYONE the saw the follow-up thought you looked like a ****ing idiot, that is not just how I viewed it.

This is my first time watching that interview I had no idea where I was or what was going on. My responses don't even line up with the questions asked. I had brain damage and was on tv too soon afterwards - did not respond properly to the tropical storm question.

I can see how this pissed people off but you're bringing up an interview with brain damage and I could barely speak. So with that behind me I'm trying to do the best I can to leave a positive footprint. Hoping attention will shift away from me and onto kb4c.org

sun sentinel called me at lunch today, I told them i'll be donating to kb4c

With some help I could shift all this energy to positive

I was so gone for that interview I saw the word 'Denver' on a production monitor and said hi to denver. hahaha that is probably my favorite part of it I dont even know anyone there.


Anyway I didnt blame the kite it was new news to me man I just didn't know a broken pulley was even possible. I could not talk about kites and talk more about sea turtles again if you'd prefer

Kevin,

We wish you the best on the road back. At the same time, BizGuru captured the sentiments of quite a few in the global kiteboarding community with his comments, harsh though they may be. You were hurt and many feel the sport and community were hurt as well by what was repeatedly presented to the media.

Of course you weren't in your right mind at the time, which was all the more reason not to have been up walking around but parked in a bed somewhere recovering. At day seven I was stuck in the ICU after my kiting concussion and heading to the beach to walk around then or even two weeks later wasn't even possible. It is all history at this point. Damage has been done and worse, perceived to have been done. When I said it takes time to heal things, this is what I meant. Directing donated funds to KB4C is a step in the right direction but these things take time and consistent positive, low key action.

While you're healing, look around this site. There are hundreds of posts and articles dealing with all aspects of kiteboarding. There are a number of posts about pulley failures and breakage, preventive maintenance, preflighting, choosing weather and launches and a lot more useful input. Kiting like steering an airplane can be easy to a point, when things go wrong is when all that extra knowledge, training and preparation can really help out. More importantly, adequate preparation could readily stop things from going wrong in the first place.

Unerstood man, just make sure any more meeting with the medias comes off in a more positive light. You have to think of how your words are precieved by others. Your accident has made the media chase you down as an ambasator for the sport. Think of how that intervie looked to the world both kiters and non-kiters. Is that the kind of example you want to portray? Also think of how you may affect other kiters thinking about going out. I really do hate to be harsh but after seeing all the hard work guys like Rick I put into promoting the sport and saftey, 1 interview like that can push the whole sport back.

Once again I wish you the best, and just make sure you come off as a positive ambasator for the sport also if you get some time read though the forum, there is a TON oof great safety information, also if sun sentinel does post another article maybe dropping a line for www.fksa.org as a good resource for people wanting to get into the sport may be nice.

Sorry for the harshness of my first post, I will edit it later when I am back at my office.

Ken

thanks the whole situation is really stressful and I'm trying my best

When anything adverse happens, it's human nature to initially dwell on the negative, but then we as a species focus on the positives. The positives in this case accentuate the need for safety aspects of the sport and potentially what could go wrong during split second decisions. I don't think anyone who watched the video wasn't influenced. We learn from the mistakes of others. People will continue to take chances, but hopefully we all took something from your accident and even though it gave our sport a black eye at the time, the long lasting effects will hopefully improve safety and the negative impact will pass into history. Good luck with your physical and mental recovery. Remember, the media isn't out for humanitarian outcomes, but only to boost ratings. It's the gladiator mentality. People enjoy gore, not good deeds. Try to get the media to cover a beach clean up or a charity event.

discovery channel request
 

I have a production request from discovery channel. Looking for a few senior suggestions - Some of you would think "dont do the interview" but I would like to view as a way to show who I am with a full brain capacity.

This would be my 6th time on tv and I don't want them to catch me offguard. I am a decent rider with limited knowledge of what I have attracted.

Ok with that said:


Kevin,
My name is Chris Perez and I am a producer for Cheri Sundae Productions and The Discovery Channel. I am writing to you because we are producing a special program entitled "Rampage" which is scheduled to air on Discovery and we are interested in producing a segment regarding your kite surfing accident during Tropical Storm Faye.
We would like to know if you would be interested in sitting down with us to conduct an interview regarding your experience. We would only need a couple of hours of your time and could pay you for your participation. We could go to you and are very flexible.
Please reply or call the numbers below when you get a chance. I appreciate your time and it is good to know that you are recovering from your injuries.

Chris Perez
Story Producer
Cheri Sundae Productions / The Discovery Channel

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure I can probably do an interview. The program name "rampage" is a hesitation. There has been a lot of negative press on this incident and I will not be willing to promote any more productions that could push restrictions on the sport. My goal is still to attract viewers for knowledge of the sport and what I have gone through. My lack of fear of death while doing what I love can be interesting with emphasis on understanding the conditions you are facing.

Provide me a description of your show and your planned interview questions.

A few suggestions while you come up with questions:
kitesurf community related questions
riding on tv is a possibility
promoting the safety aspects of the sport and what I did wrong that day
full recovery
a goal to leave a soulful respectable footprint


Thanks Chris,

Kevin Kearney

Kevin,

I'm really not trying to be a d?ck, but don't even consider it. Look at what you've looked like in the past, and the potential damage you've done for the sport. Come on, there's been thread after thread on kiteforum, and a few on here, of people who don't support you and are unhappy with the outcome of your accident(and that's saying it nicely). I know that you're trying to redeem yourself, but dude, sometimes the only wayt to do that is just stay the f?ck out of the spotlight.
I really hope you choose not to do this interview. I can't believe any of your local riders would look highly upon it. I suspect if you were one of our local riders here and you did another interview(only 6 already? come on dude that's enough), you'd hear about it from everybody on the beach.

Richard

Take the 5th, be quiet, dont do it or what ever you choose to say......out of sight out of mind, you need to let this go away, you are causing harm buy bringing back up again and again........if you feel kiteboarding is your family, has helped you and you love the sport, give us a break!

Well the response is expected. I should remember that after I almost died people made dartboards with my face on it and maybe the individuals in this community might not be the same as people I have met in my journeys. People just want me to fall off face of earth... which at this second makes me more into riding on tv and telling them I love kiting and here is me, I'll do this forever. Also I should remember that tv wants to show death, danger, mayhem and they have already skewed my interviews to show this and they will probably do it again.



I probably won't do the interview I was unhealthily stressed out last year and I'm trying to start the new year with this in the past

My gut reaction, like most, is to advise you to NOT do the interview. Nothing good will come of it. You will hope to come off looking better to your peers. (they are the only ones who remember, the public has forgotten about you.) And your peers are telling you to STFU.

However, it would be interesting to find out if they are going to use your accident footage with or without you. Because, if they use the footage and some of your old interviews...that is more bad press. If that is the case, you should tell them to call Rick instead. As a local rider and known safety advocate, he would offer the best representation for kiting (and your accident) on that show.

pissed
 

this post brings out the flames of hades out of me . All of you guys that are bitching and pointing fingers at Kevin needs to go **** off, it was a accident, watch the video he's not the only person out that day,A handful of us was out that day in Nassau too.everyone who lives near the coast line and have experienced hurricanes know right before it hits or passed it brings Epic conditions, yall talking shit, bout, " oh! you're making the sport look bad giving it a bad name" **** YOU!! you guys are acting like he went out and deliberately or have some hidden agenda to destroy the image of kiteboarding.You guys come on here talking like you're without sin and practice safe riding all the time, NONE!! of us are without sin all of us do big boost or tricks near the beach or launch and land our kites in places where we know we shouldn't,the only difference between us and Kevin is that we are lucky that we haven't gotten hurt yet.What happen to Kevin could of happen in a normal kite session when the winds are strong.Can't believe you used tampons are trying to tell Kevin what to say on his next interview or bitching because he's going on another, Kevin! why the **** are you explaining yourself to these, sit down when they pee pussies, you don't need to justify or explain your action to no one dude. Do what the **** you want and say the **** you want, this is free country.

thanks I originally posted to get some senior members suggestions on what I should say if I do the interview.

I've contacted members privately with discovery's responses. They will be doing the show with or without my interview. There will be noaa meteorologists discussing fay and storm conditions it will be nice to have the kiters input along with theirs. If i do the interview i'll have proper input from safety gurus.

Its going to be an informational show. I'll do what I can and if the show seems flaky i wont do it. Thanks for the input so far everyone the decision will be up to me

Prayforwind i think you need to pray for more kitting and less stress, what a rage...interesting

p.s. something to ponder.....you are responsible for what you do, you take risks, well we are all held responsible for what the result is, like it or not. This accident has been used a platform now to show how dangerous kiteboarding is and why you should not be alllowed to do it in places. So right , wrong or otherwise, being in that condtion in onshore, with huricane, you know the risk you are taking and chancing, so you have to deal with the results. NO one made the choice for him, no one wanted to see him hurt, but fact is he screwed up, the world saw it and some real bad interviews, so is better to let this go.....look defensive the media will eat you

look at this another way, what if that happened and the kiter hit someone else and hurt them or worse and the kiter wasnt hurt bad....how would the reaction be? It could have happened that way you know

just take responsiblity for what you do and think about the risk before you do it and be prepared to be responsible for yourself after

Take one for the team
 

Kevin

No matter how media savy a person is, the media can and will slant the interview to conform to what they want to say, not what you want to get across. AND, they have the tool of post-production editing. You can't win. The show they propose is meant to grab the audience with sensational footage. Do you think that the production staff really wants to hear your side of the story now that you've had a few months to think about it? Besides, I 'll re-iterate what another poster said. They're going to replay the video, with or without you.

So, IMO, just lay low. Live to kite a smarter day. Take one for the team.

Man, prayfawind, you really oughta calm down. Like I said in the original post I made-I'm being nice, and trying to be political. He asked for opinions. I gave my opinion that he shouldn't do the interview. I in no way commented on his kiting or the conditions he rode in. I commented on what has happened in his other interviews. They didn't end positively. Sorry that Kevin wanted a "senior member response", which I'm not. I've only been in the sport for a year. But, it doesnt take a senior kiter to know that the media will sway things the way they want, and that Kevin's interviews didn't portray us in a positive light.
I again say don't do the interview. Let someone like Rick who studies kiteboarding sagety do it. And prayfawind, there was no attack here, so calm down.

kite free or die
do what you want kev
i love freedom!

Hey Kevin,
The reality of this situation is that you're going to do what you want. But each time you open your mouth up with the media, you hurt the kite boarding community. The only supporters that you have left are other morons that can't seem to control their kites and land themselves into objects as well. If you want to be "that guy" for the rest of your life, then go on tv. Otherwise let time pass and get off the radar.

zero or hero?
 

zero