ROCKMART, Ga. - The family of a 23-year-old Georgia Tech student is mourning following his death during a weekend skydiving accident.
Polk County Deputy Coroner Tony Brazier said Olen Reid Ashe III's primary parachute malfunctioned and he was unable to deploy his emergency chute in time to slow his fall.
Brazier pronounced Ashe dead at the scene from massive external and internal injuries on Saturday afternoon.
Ashe and three friends were skydiving at Skydive The Farm, a 55-acre private farm in Rockmart.
The tragic jump was his third of the day and 299th of his skydiving career.
Skydive The Farm owner Hans Paulsen said Ashe was a regular at the business and two other similar facilities in the area.
He said the student was a talented skydiver who participated in Georgia Tech's skydiving club.
Sunday
May 4th, 2025
12:23AM
