Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National

Experienced skydiver Douglas Ball dies in hospital week after hard landing

Douglas Ball has died in hospital after sustaining critial injuries last week. (Supplied: Facebook)

The organisation investigating a fatal skydiving incident is reviewing footage of the jump captured by the skydiver.

Douglas Ball suffered critical injuries in a reported hard landing at Laguna Quays, north of Mackay earlier this month.

He died in the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Parachute Federation of Australia started an investigation immediately after the incident.

That will include footage from Mr Ball's camera and from others who were with him on the day.

Federation chief executive Richard McCooey said line lengths and the design of the parachute would be investigated, as well as weather conditions, equipment and the diver.

"We are quite clear that the parachute opened at a normal height and steered down perfectly normal until the very last part of the landing," he said.

"It appeared to be perfect skydiving conditions."

He also confirmed Mr Ball was a very experienced skydiver with thousands of jumps under his belt over the past decade.

Tributes to 'bloody good human'

Douglas Ball passed away a week after a reported hard landing at Laguna Quays, near Proserpine. (Supplied: Facebook)

Mr Ball's nephew, Harry Auckett, posted a heartfelt tribute to his "Uncle Doug" on social media, saying he was one of a kind.

Mr Auckett also thanked his uncle for helping him become the person he is today.

Friend, Jethro Harmon, said Mr Ball was "a bloody awesome human being" and it was a gift to know him.

Mr McCooey said Mr Ball was well known in the skydiving community.

"Its a tight-knit community ... it's a small sport, an adventure sport," he said.

"We know there's dangers in skydiving and that the potential for a serious accident is there, but it doesn't make it any easier when something like this does occur."

The federation expects it will take up to two months for its report to be finalised.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.