[administrator]

Originally posted on the FKA list on Nov 13, 2003

I just received the following detailed accident summary from Kent Marinkovic, close friend and colleague of Alex Caviglia. Kent interviewed several bystanders and kiteboarders at the accident scene in preparing this summary.


"On Tuesday, November 12, 2003 at approximately 3:30 pm, Alex Caviglia the President of Adventure Sports was injured in a serious kiteboarding accident. The incident occurred at Matheson Hammock Park in a suburb of Miami. Matheson Hammock is one of the most popular locations for kiteboarding in Miami. The conditions at the time of the incident were ranging between 21-34 MPH and gusty. The wind was from the NNE and directly onshore. The incident occurred within seconds after the launch of his kite. The launch area is confined and approximately 35 meters in length and 2 to-5 meters in width (from the water to the parking lot). Due to the onshore conditions and the narrow width of the launch site, Alex was limited to being only 4 to 5 feet from the shore (knee deep in water) prior to his launch. His kite was also either over the land or just 2-3 feet off the shoreline. An experienced kiteboarder assisted in the launching of Alex’s kite and had released the kite after Alex had signaled him to do so. The launch was clean and free from fouls or twists. Alex proceeded to raise the kite to approximately the 3:00 position (about 12 to18 feet above the water and very low). Just after the launch, the gusty conditions caused the kite to drift slightly back (down wind and over the shoreline), approximately 8 to 10 feet from its original position which was far forward and out of the power zone. The kite quickly and sharply accelerated, causing Alex to lurch forward, out of control. Given the extremely narrow span of the launch region, Alex had literally a fraction of a second before colliding with the shoreline. Two witnesses (both kitesurfers) indicated that Alex had neither the time, nor the opportunity to activate his safety release system and that his hands never left the bar.

Fortunately, two of the witnesses on the beach (one a kiter) were fire fighters and certified paramedics. The first assistance by one of the witnessing paramedics reached Alex within 15 seconds of the time of the accident. The quick acting paramedics were able to contact emergency services within seconds and directly request that the Trauma center launch a rescue helicopter immediately. Alex was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Trauma center in Miami where he remains.

Alex’s current condition is critical, but stable. He has suffered serious head injuries, but doctors have performed procedures that have gone as planned and without incident. He is reported to also have other serious, but less threatening injuries. These injuries are yet to be determined. Doctors at Jackson Memorial hospital have indicated that more information on the severity of Alex’s injuries will come during the next 48 hours. "

Kent related some encouraging news from the hospital to me. Alex has revived to a degree into what the doctors call a "light coma." That is even though he is still unconscious, he is responding to some verbal instructions. Alex still has some ground to recover but this is excellent news! Alex, our prayers and thoughts are with you.