Family filled with grief after loss of Navy SEAL

A skydiving accident in Florida during a training exercise has fatally injured a Navy SEAL based in Virginia Beach, VA.

The accident occurred Saturday morning, according to television station WAVY. Petty Officer First Class William “Blake” Marston, 31, was participating in a training exercise when something apparently went wrong with his parachute.

A witness to the accident called 911. When the operator asked if the canopy was fully open, the witness responded “To tell you the truth buddy, I have no clue. All I heard was like a plane was falling or something and I looked over and I saw this guy just free falling out of the sky. …  I think something inside it might have broke or something.”

DeLand police were dispatched to the airport. The police report indicates that “A witness describes that when the victim was approximately 40-60 feet from the ground he was free-falling. Then the witness saw something fly off the parachute before he hit the ground. The witness reports the victim landed feet first. The witness advised it appeared the victim had a broken leg and was unresponsive.”

Marston was later declared dead at a nearby hospital. “The entire Naval Special Warfare community extends our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of our teammate, Blake. He will be missed by all who knew him. An investigation into this incident is underway,” Lt. David Lloyd with Naval Special Warfare Group TWO said in a statement to the station.

(AERO News Network)