The News Herald is publishing its annual countdown of the top 10 stories of the year.
These were the stories reporters and editors felt were the most important in Bay County in 2013. The series will end on New Year’s Eve, with the top story of the year. Also on that day, The News Herald will list the top 10 stories as ranked by readers in an online poll. Voting is now closed.
NEWS HERALD TOP 10 STORIES COUNTDOWN:
10. Sunday: Florida State University Panama City opens to freshmen, sophomores
9. Monday: Arrival of F-22s, Air Force personnel delayed for a year
8. Tuesday: Big changes at The Rescue Mission
7. Wednesday: Development boom at Pier Park
6. Thursday: Region raked in BP money
5. Friday: County takes over ambulance service
4. Saturday: Panama City Marina developments
3. Sunday: Historic rainfall flooded Bay County
2. Today: Parasailing crash
PANAMA CITY BEACH — It’s been six months since an internet video brought national attention to a gruesome scene on a beautiful beach.
On July 1, tourist Alexis Fairchild tweeted her excitment about a planned parasailing adventure later that day with her friend Sidney Good. Their excitement turned to terror when the line that tethered the teens to a boat detached and sent the girls sailing with the winds from a strong storm. They crashed into the top of multi-story condominium and sailed into a power line before smashing several vehicles in the parking lot.
Fairchild didn’t tweet again for almost a month. She and Good spent more than a week in the hospital before they returned home to Indiana.
When reached by Twitter Fairchild declined to comment, saying she was still focusing on her recovery from the numerous injuries she suffered. Attempts to reach Good were unsuccessful.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation into the incident is still at least a month from completion, said FWC spokesman Stan Kirkland. Portions of the investigation being handled by federal agencies—the National Transporation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard — were delayed by the sequester earlier in the year, Kirkland said.
“There are still some technical things that we’re waiting on,” Kirkland said.
A portion of the crash was captured on video footage that spread quickly over the Internet and captured the attention of media outlets around the world. Lawmakers said the incident was an example of why the state should pass a law placing restrictions on who can operate a parasailing business and the safety precautions operators should take.
There are currently no restrictions on parasail operators. They are not licensed or required to carry liability insurance, there are no safety inspections, and there are no prohibitions against operating in dangerous weather. A bill that would have imposed restrictions on operating in dangerous weather and required operators to carry insurance died in a senate subcommittee earlier this year.
The Coast Guard released a preliminary report less than a month after the crash that said the weather and the proximity to the shore off the “Why Knot,” the vessel towing the girls, contributed to the crash. The Coast Guard also distributed a safety checklist to local operators reminding them to diligently monitor weather conditions, check their equipment and be prepared for emergencies.
Lawmakers Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed, a democratic representative from Deerfield Beach, and Maria Sachs, a democratic senator from South Florida, pledged to refile bills to regulate the industry, and both have made good on that promise. The bill is scheduled for its first hearing Jan. 9 in front of a senate subcommittee.
Sachs addressed parasail operators at an industry symposium in St. Petersburg recently. The industry response to the proposed regulation was favorable, according to her website.