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The U.S. Coast Guard has scheduled a hearing next week for the deaths of two women in a parasailing accident off Ocean Isle Beach last month. Authorities said the Sept. 23-25 hearing will help the Coast Guard develop conclusions and recommendations to improve the safety of parasailing vessels.

Sixty-year-old Cynthia Woodcock of Kernersville, and fifty-five-year-old Lorrie Shoup of Granby, Colorado, went parasailing off Ocean Isle Beach on Aug. 28 while on a trip with Woodcock’s aunt, Sybil Carpenter of Cary, and another friend. When they were parasailing the tow rope for their parasail snapped, and Woodcock and Shoup drowned when they were caught in a rip current and pulled out to sea.

Tropical Storm Danny was kicking up wind and waves along much of the coast that day, but tropical storm watches that covered the Outer Banks didn’t extend southward to Ocean Isle Beach. The Coast Guard plans to hear testimony from the crew of the parasailing boat, Tied High, several passengers and representatives of the National Weather Service and the Professional Association of Parasail Operators.

The National Transportation Safety Board helped the Coast Guard test and analyzes the parasailing chute, harness, towline and associated equipment following the accident. N.C. Watersports, the company that operated the parasailing boat, closed for the summer shortly after the fatal accident.

Neither the Coast Guard nor the state Department of Labor regulate parasailing operators. Officials said it is considered a recreational activity, like hang-gliding or skydiving. Still, the Coast Guard issued a safety alert to the parasailing industry Thursday, reminding operators to closely monitor current and forecasted weather and sea conditions, especially wind speed.

Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

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