FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A kite surfer in died Wednesday after a strong wind picked the man off the ground, carried him 400 feet and slammed him into the second floor of a house on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said the kite surfer hadn't even gotten into the water yet when a strong wind lifted him into the air and into the house.
"He was not able to release from the kite in a timely manner," Gollan told WSVN.
The man was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he died a few hours later.
The victim's name was not immediately released.
In the sport, participants usually hook a large kite to a body harness, hold onto a bar and then put their feet into straps attached to a surfboard. They then use the kite to pull them through the water.
Kites usually come with a safety release system that can quickly disconnect the surfer if they lose control or catch a dangerous wind. It was not known if the victim’s kite had such a system or whether he had tried to activate it.
