A skydiving company has spoken out after a father of six tragically lost his life, confirming that his parachute opened correctly.
Roger Goltz, an IT technician from Jervis Bay, on NSW’s south coast, died at the weekend, leaving behind his wife Kelly and their six children aged between 14 and 25 years old.
Mr Goltz was an experienced skydiver and had completed about 80 jumps before the accident on Saturday.
While his parachute opened perfectly, it’s understood Mr Goltz turned too low and fast due to the wind, which put him on the wrong angle to land.
Mr Goltz suffered a catastrophic brain injury upon impact. He was put on a ventilator at the scene before being taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
‘Roger and my 18-year-old son Kai had gone skydiving like they always do. Kai saw his dad go down but didn’t realise it was him until he saw his shoe,’ Mrs Goltz told Daily Mail Australia.
Mrs Goltz, whose four out of six children live at home, is now worried she may not be able to keep her house as skydiving was not covered by their life insurance.
Skydive Oz in Moruya confirmed that Roger’s parachute opened and worked as it should.
Roger Goltz, who lives in Jervis Bay, on NSW’s South Coast, died over the weekend, leaving behind his wife and six kids
Mr Goltz is an experienced skydiver and had completed about 80 jumps, many with his teenage son, before the accident on Saturday
Chief instructor Paul Smith, who was at the drop zone when the incident occurred, said that safety is always his top priority.
‘At Skydive Oz, we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible for all of our members, regardless of their level of experience, and the close-knit skydiving community here is devastated that this has occurred,’ he said in a statement.
‘We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and emergency services personnel who provided first aid care and arranged for his helicopter flight to Canberra.’
Australian Parachute Federation CEO Stephen Porter said it had launched an investigation into the incident.
‘Our thoughts are with the man’s family and everyone involved at this tragic time,’ he said.
‘A training officer arrived on site at Moruya Heads on Saturday night to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.’
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support his family who say they have been left with an ‘irreplaceable void in our hearts’.
‘Roger was just always chasing the next adventure and just loved his kids, he was one of them I suppose,’ Mrs Goltz said.
‘The kids are devastated and wondering did he hurt or was he scared and what it means for the two girls and who’s going to walk them down the aisle?
‘They’ve just lost their best mate.
‘All you had to do was imagine it and he’d make it happen.’
Mrs Goltz said a fellow skydiver with 40 years of experience said he’d seen similar turns go wrong in the air but never one that claimed a life.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support his family who say they’ve been left with an ‘irreplaceable void in our hearts’
He was extremely close with his six children
Mr Goltz (far right) had done several skydiving jumps with his teenage son Kai
She is now awaiting a coroner’s report to try to understand what went wrong.
The family are being supported by Mr and Mrs Goltz’s parents
‘Roger just loved life and his family,’ Mrs Goltz said.
A memorial service will be held for Mr Goltz next Thursday.
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