Palos Park man sues iFly indoor skydiving after he was paralyzed from neck down

A Palos Park man who was left a quadriplegic after an incident at an iFly indoor skydiving facility is suing the company for negligence and misrepresentation.

David Schilling, 63, was at iFly’s Rosemont facility in January of 2021 when he began to lose control, drifting and spinning inside the wind chamber, lawyer Jack Casciato said at a news conference Tuesday.

“Those are all tell-tale signs of when an instructor in this sort of activity needs to intervene ... and certainly this did not happen in this case,” Casciato said.

Schilling hit the glass wall of the chamber headfirst and suffered a severe spinal cord injury, Casciato said. Schilling, a father of two and an Air Force veteran, is paralyzed from the neck down and requires around-the-clock care.

With “all the issues he’s going through, it’s amazing to still see a man with a smile on his face and be there for his family. But his life has completely changed,” Casciato said.

Clifford Law Offices

Lawyers representing Schilling initially sued the company for negligence and wanton conduct in 2021 but have filed an amended lawsuit to include complaints of fraudulent representation.

Participants at iFly facilities must sign a waiver that refers to indoor skydiving as “inherently dangerous,” directly contradicting online marketing that pitches the activity as safe and family-friendly, Casciato said.

“iFly asks people to host children’s birthday parties, they tell parents it’s safe for 3-year-olds and then when somebody gets hurt, they switch gears and say it’s unsafe, so we believe that’s fraudulent,” Casciato said.

The company has cited the waiver in a motion to dismiss the case, but it was denied by a judge, according to Casciato.

In an emailed statement, a spokesman for iFly said Schilling was an experienced skydiver who was receiving instruction from another experienced skydiver.

“In iFLY’s 20 plus years of operation, over 15 million customers have safely flown with iFLY across all locations, and the company will continue to make the safety of all of its customers its highest priority,” the statement said. “iFLY has great empathy for Mr. Schilling and his family. At the time, Mr. Schilling was a very experienced, licensed skydiver with the United States Parachute Association with over 80 jumps who was receiving instruction in the iFLY wind tunnel from another experienced skydiver from Skydive Chicago at their private event for experienced skydivers.”

Schilling’s team said it is seeking greater transparency by the company as well as financial compensation.

“iFly facilities should close until the company makes it apparent to people, people such as parents that plan on hosting a children’s birthday party, that iFLY in fact does not consider this a safe activity but instead one that is inherently dangerous,” Schilling wrote in a statement.

The lawsuit is pending in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.