SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – A Santee woman is recovering in the hospital after a horrifying parasailing accident while celebrating her birthday in Mexico.
Katie Malone, 29, was only supposed to be in the air for ten minutes when the chord tethering her to the boat snapped – leaving her hanging for nearly an hour before she came crashing down. The storm that had moved in caused the boat Katie was attached to capsized.
“She remembers coming really close to a balcony at one of the resorts and she could hear the people talking and screaming. That’s how close she got to it,” said Brendan Malone, Katie’s brother.
Brendan said Katie spent 45 minutes in the air – tossing and turning in the wind until she crashed on the ground near an airport. “The air traffic control had her in their vision they stopped the airport from any flights coming in or out.”
Katie landed in a swampy area near an alligator that rescue crews had to chase away to reach her. She suffered from a concussion check bone jaw bone fracture and a pelvis fracture. She spent 18 days in a Mexican hospital. Her family desperately tried to transport her back to the United States.
After receiving help from the community and Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr., Katie flew home on Tuesday.
Katie’s mother told News 8 she is grateful her daughter survived. She is expected to make a full recovery. The family has also set up a GoFundMe page for anyone wishing to help the family with medical costs.