UPDATED: Skydiving Mishap Over Lakeland Village Kills Man

Written by Toni McAllister, posted by Roy Rivenburg

UPDATED May 26 at 10:57 a.m.:

A skydiver who fell into a Lakeland Village backyard and suffered serious injuries Saturday has died, prompting an FAA investigation.

Ken Oka, 62, of Mira Loma was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after he and several other skydivers landed in the residential neighborhood, according to the Riverside County coroner's office. 

Preliminary investigation revealed the skydivers were attempting a multiple-person maneuver when one became tangled in a parachute and couldn't free himself, according to Sgt. David Cardoza of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Firefighters received a call about a skydiver down in the 19400 block of Sweetwood Lane around 3 p.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said.

Alma Lopez witnessed the commotion in her Lakeland Village neighborhood. She said five or six skydivers landed in the area -- including one on a rooftop and one in her front yard.

"He was hysterical," she said of the man who landed on her property. "He wanted to see his friend," she said.

He knew his friend was seriously hurt or dead, she said.

Lopez drove the man to Sweetwood Lane, where they found Oka in the backyard of a residence. Lopez said CPR was being administered and he was transported via ambulance. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department confirmed Oka was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

"A representative with the Federal Aviation Administration is conducting an independent investigation into the death," Cardoza said.  

Oka was not a stranger to the dangers of his sport, at least not according to a 2004 report from the Los Angeles Times. 

Once during a jump, he had a close call in which he and a fellow skydiver had to fly down using only Oka's chute.

"Well, we didn't walk away, but we survived," he told the Times.