Parasailor evacuated, dies

The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated a parasailer at 5:48 p.m. June 27 about 1.5 miles west of Longboat Key.

The parasailer, David Sierazki, 31, of South Carolina, was subsequently pronounced deceased by Manatee County Emergency Medical Services, according to a news release from the Coast Guard.

Watchguards at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg were notified via VHF radio at about 5:30 p.m. by a crewmember aboard the Almost Heaven, a 28-foot commercial parasailing vessel based in Bradenton Beach, of CPR being performed on Sierazki, who was unresponsive.

A 25-foot response boat and crew from Coast Guard Station Cortez was launched and arrived at the boat at 5:48 p.m. Sierazki, along with his wife, was transferred to the response boat, where CPR was continuously performed on the man while being transported to the Coquina boat ramp on Anna Maria Island.

Upon arriving at the boat ramp, Coast Guard crewmembers continued to perform CPR on Sierazki until the arrival of the EMS crew, who pronounced Sierazki deceased.

​“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the friends and families of the deceased,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Peter Martin, deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.

The incident is being investigated by marine casualty investigators from U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.