Navy veteran dies after she falls from attraction at California fair
VICTORVILLE, Calif. -- A Navy veteran died Friday after falling 36 feet off a new attraction at the San Bernardino County Fair, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Sabrina Gordon, of Hesperia, fell Thursday night from the FreeDrop USA at the fairgrounds on 7th Street near Desert Knoll Drive in Victorville.
The 31-year-old disabled Navy officer was at the fair recruiting from a CrossFit booth when she made a last-minute decision to go on the non-mechanical attraction where participants jump from the top of a scaffolding-type structure on to a large air pillow.
Witnesses said when Gordon went to jump, she hesitated and plunged to the ground.
"She's afraid of heights so I don't know why she got on that thing," Gordon's father Lyle Bell said.
She was airlifted to a local hospital where she died at 12:20 a.m., according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department.
"Safety is our top priority; the ride will be closed pending a thorough investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department," San Bernardino County Fair CEO/ General Manager Geoff Hinds said.
Bell said he plans to take legal action.
"I've never had heartache like this before," he said.
"We're just trying to stick together, and we're going to try and do a lot of stuff for her family and her husband," Gordon's CrossFit coach Alicia Scarberry said.
FD Event Co. LLC owns and operates FreeDrop USA, which made its California debut at the fair.
"We have had over 50,000 successful jumps across multiple states during a recent 36 city tour. We are proud of our safety record and conduct thorough safety training with each of our employees as well as every participant," the company's owner Aspen Decker said.