MTV Star Erik Roner Dies After Hitting Tree While Skydiving at Celebrity Golf Tournament
Erik Roner, a member of Travis Pastrana’s “action sport collective” featured on the MTV show Nitro Circus, was killed on Monday in a freak skydiving accident. He was 39.
Roner was part of a three-man parachute jump team performing at the 4th Annual Squaw Valley Institute Celebrity Golf Classic in Squaw Valley, California.
At the time of the accident he “was off the drop zone target on descent and hit a large tree,” Nitro Circus said in a statement. Roner, who the Associated Press reports was pronounced dead at the scene, is survived by his wife and two children.
Placer County Sheriff’s Capt. Dennis Walsh told the Associated Press an investigation into his death has been opened, and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the incident.
“Erik was an amazing person who made everyone and everything around him better,” Pastrana said in a statement released by Nitro Circus. “His smile, laughter and personality will be missed by everyone at Nitro Circus. Most importantly he has a beautiful wife and amazing kids that will miss him dearly. He is gone… But will never be forgotten.”
Image via AP.