Southern California skydiver killed in weather-related mishap

A professional skydiving instructor died, and her student was seriously injured in a tandem skydiving accident in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

Devrey LaRiccia Chase, 28, and her student were descending toward the ground during a routine jump in Perris last Tuesday when they ran into a pair of “dust devils,” Devrey’s husband, Freddy Chase, told KTLA 5 News.

“She missed the first one, and when she maneuvered around it, she hit the second one,” said Chase, who is also a skydiver and has hundreds of thousands of social media followers. At that point, she was about 25 to 30 feet in the air… It sent her canopy in a downward spiral.”

With no time to react, Devrey and her student slammed into the ground. Both were rushed to a local hospital, where Devrey succumbed to her injuries.

Dust devils are small, rotating columns of air that pick up dust and debris from the ground on hot days. They resemble tornadoes but are generally harmless.

Freddy Chase says his wife was not only a passionate skydiver but also the main videographer for his social media videos, some of which have racked up more than a million views.

“She was beautiful in the sport and in her passion for skydiving,” Freddy recalled. “It was what she talked about every day. She loved doing what she did.”

Chase says Devrey moved to California from Maine roughly eight years ago, and now her family is raising money to bring her home. Tap here to donate.