MTV extreme sports star killed in California skydiving accident
SQUAW VALLEY, CA -- An extreme sports and MTV star skydiving for the opening ceremony of a golf event in Squaw Valley died when he struck a tree Monday, authorities said.
Placer County Sheriff's Capt. Dennis Walsh said Roner of Tahoe City, California died during a skydiving accident at a Squaw Valley, California, golf course.
Witnesses told deputies Roner was part of a group conducting a skydiving performance for a golf event, when he hit a tree while trying to land and became entangled high above ground, Walsh said.
Authorities were not able to remove him from the tree and Roner was pronounced dead at the scene.
All the other skydivers landed safely, he said.
Roner was known for being part of the Nitro Circus, an MTV show centered around freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of extreme sports athlete friends.
Roy Tuscany, a friend of Roner, who witnessed the accident said it occurred right before a celebrity golf tournament was about to begin Monday morning.
Tuscany said that he watched as two other parachutists landed safely on the golf course's fairway for the 9th hole but then looked on in horror when Roner slammed hard into a tree about 25-30 feet above the ground.
He said Roner's parachute got caught in the tree and Roner dangled there while many on the ground scrambled to find ladders and other means to get to Roner. At one point, several people attempted to stand on one another's shoulder to reach Roner.
"There's no protocol for this kind of rescue," Tuscany said. "There's no manual. It was just horrible."
Tuscany described his friend Roner as "always positive" and a "big supporter" of the local community.
He said Kroner was "hilarious and was a "stand-up guy" who could always be counted on to help out with benefit events like the golf tournament sponsored by the Squaw Valley Institute, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as being "dedicated to presenting enriching and inspirational programs to the Lake Tahoe region."
