Palos Park man sues iFLY in Rosemont for negligence after he was left a quadriplegic
CHICAGO (CBS) -- You cannot say indoor skydiving is a safe activity for kids as young as three, if your legal documents call if "an inherently dangerous activity."
That's the claim of a lawsuit by a Palos Park man suing iFLY in Rosemont after an accident left him a quadriplegic. Video shown is of the iFLY experience, where users get in a vertical wind tunnel for the indoor skydiving.
It's what 63-year-old David Schilling expected when he went to the i-FLY in Rosemont in January of 2021. His lawyers said Schilling became unstable, but instructors and spotters didn't help.
He crashed into the wall and can no longer move from the neck down. He requires constant, round-the-clock care. Schilling is suing for negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation.
The company sent a statement to CBS 2:
In iFLY's 20 plus years of operation, over 15 million customers have safely flown with iFLY across all locations, and the company will continue to make the safety of all of its customers its highest priority.
iFLY has great empathy for Mr. Schilling and his family. At the time, Mr. Schilling was a very experienced, licensed skydiver with the United States Parachute Association with over 80 jumps who was receiving instruction in the iFLY wind tunnel from another experienced skydiver from Skydive Chicago at their private event for experienced skydivers.