What was supposed to be another routine skydiving experience ended in tragedy Friday, November 6, when two experienced women lost their lives after colliding in midair near Lake Elsinore in Southern California. The victims were identified as Levi Pimentel, 29, of Aurora, Illinois, and Georgia Jean, 56, of Box Elder, South Dakota. Both women were licensed skydivers who had traveled to California to participate in an organized skydiving event at Skydive Elsinore.
The accident happened at approximately 11:47 a.m. as the women approached the landing area. According to Skydive Elsinore, the two collided about 150 feet above the ground. Their parachutes became tangled during the collision, leaving both women unable to make a safe landing. They fell to the ground and suffered critical injuries.
Emergency crews responded to the scene after receiving reports of an air emergency. Both women were given medical attention before being transported by ambulance to Inland Valley Medical Center. Despite efforts to save them, they later died at the hospital.
Pimentel was from Aurora, Illinois, and had built a career in the indoor skydiving industry. She worked at iFLY Naperville for nearly nine years, holding several positions, including lead trainer, lead instructor and flight instructor. Her work involved helping others experience the sensation of skydiving in a controlled indoor setting. Her death has brought a painful end to a career closely connected to the sport.
Jean, who lived in Box Elder, South Dakota, also had considerable experience in the air. She reportedly began skydiving in 2015 and had completed more than 1,700 jumps. She was among the experienced jumpers who had traveled to California for the organized event. Her years in the sport make the circumstances surrounding Friday’s collision especially difficult for those who knew her.
Skydive Elsinore said the early stages of the jump went normally. Witnesses reported that the freefall was uneventful and both women deployed their parachutes at the expected altitude. The company also said there was no indication of equipment failure. However, investigators are still working to establish exactly what caused the two parachutists to collide during their descent.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and is expected to collect the parachutes as part of its investigation. Authorities have not established whether weather conditions or other factors played a role in the accident. The skydiving company said it was cooperating with investigators as they work to understand what happened.
Skydive Elsinore expressed its sorrow over the deaths and extended condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of both women. The company also said the victims were experienced, licensed skydivers who had come from out of town to participate in the event.
The tragedy comes against the backdrop of millions of skydives completed across the United States each year. The U.S. Parachute Association reported approximately 3.47 million member skydives in 2025, with 16 fatalities recorded. Those figures offer some context about the sport’s risks, but they do not explain what went wrong during Friday’s descent.
The fatal collision occurred at Skydive Elsinore near Lake Elsinore, a city in Riverside County, California, about 70 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. For the families of Pimentel and Jean, however, the location is now tied to the loss of two women whose lives were cut short during an activity they knew well.
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