NC-based Golden Knights parachutist dies after being injured in air show

CHICAGO -One of two parachutists who collided while performing at the Chicago Air and Water Show Saturday morning has died the Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed. The two members of the Golden Knights spoke about their fear of heights, but added they were most comfortable when the door of a plane was open and their parachutes were strapped to their backs.

“Sergeant Hood is an American hero, having dedicated almost half his life in service to our nation”, said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement.

The other man broke his leg and is expected to be released Saturday.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday that a software upgrade at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Va., may have led to more than 440 flights getting canceled on the heavily populated U.S. East Coast on Saturday. The other parachutist was treated for a broken leg.

Hood, who was from Cincinnati, Ohio, served in Afghanistan and Iraq, died at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

One witness told WLS-TV the Golden Knights parachutist nearly looked “lifeless” as his chute carried him toward the lakefront apartment buildings.

Hood was a graduate of Lakota West High School in 2001, where he played football, according to Enquirer archives. It was bad, ‘ she told the newspaper. A maintenance worker on the same roof called paramedics, she said. A day earlier, he collided in midair with a member of the Navy’s precision skydiving team during the event along Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline.

Army and Navy jumpers can reach speeds of 180 miles per hour during free fall by pulling their arms to their sides. Headliners included the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.