Did the kite surfer ever consider doing it in a hurricane a bad idea?”
FORT LAUDERDALE ― Emergency officials have been warning South Floridians to seek shelter during Tropical Storm Fay but a man in Fort Lauderdale seeking some thrills on the rough surf didn’t heed that warning and ended up in the hospital after being hurt in an astonishing kite boarding accident that was caught on camera. A CBS4 news crew was on Fort Lauderdale beach at A1A and east Las Olas Boulevard when a huge gust of wind from Fay blew down the beach and took the kite boarder by surprise. The kite boarder was harnessed into his sail when the wind violently picked him up and slammed him onto the sandy beach. Then, he was dragged across the sand before being lifted up into the air again and blown across the street where the wind slammed him into a building. Witnesses ran to help the unidentified kite surfer who lay crumpled on the ground in pain. Fort Lauderdale fire rescue crews quickly arrived on the scene and transported him to Broward General Medical Center. His condition is unknow
There’s a new entry for the famed Darwin Awards. This time a kite surfer named Kevin Kearney decided that the winds of Tropical Storm Fay were just what he needed for maximum kite surfing action. Guess what happened? He was lifted dozens of feet in the air and slammed to the ground. At this point, the intrepid kite surfer was lifted again, and carried through the air at high speed by the raging winds until he came to a complete and sudden stop against a downtown building. You can watch the video of the entire event on YouTube through this link. I can sympathize with people who make poor choices. I’ve even made a few, myself. Deciding not to abandon your home in the face of an approaching hurricane when ordered to evacuate is a bad choice, but it’s understandable. Deciding that winds so strong that may make it difficult or impossible to even stand up should be met while strapped into a kite surfing rig goes beyond making a bad decision. It is just plain stupidity. Tropical Storm Fay Kit
