Kayla Kieko Black and her skydiving instructor, Devrey LaRiccia Chase, both 28, have died as a result of a freak skydiving accident.
On Aug. 2, the two women were caught in a pair of “dust devils” — a small, rotating column of air that picks up dust and debris from the ground on hot days — during a routine jump in Perris, according to Chase’s husband, Freddy, who is also a skydiver.
“She missed the first one, and when she maneuvered around it, she hit the second one,” Freddy Chase told KTLA. “At that point, she was about 25 to 30 feet in the air … it sent her canopy in a downward spiral.”
The two hit the ground in an open field in 2000 block of Goetz Road. Chase died that day at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar and Black on Aug. 4 at Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center in Moreno Valley, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Black lived in Buena Park and had recently started working at Benihana in Anaheim after nine years at Niko Niko Japanese Restaurant in La Habra, according to her father, Bill.
Black planned to renovate an RV she had bought and work remotely while traveling, her father told KTLA. “She loved to venture out and try different activities, such as skydiving.”
Black is also survived by her mother, Gail, and brother, Brandon.
A friend of the father has established a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-kayla-kieko-black-support-for-her-family) to help with funeral expenses and other financial burdens. Any additional funds will go to “charities Kayla cared deeply about.”
The page also noted, “Kayla’s legacy will live on through her selfless decision to be an organ donor. Her generosity will provide hope and new beginnings for many individuals and families in need.”