the dangers of kitesurfing

Stay safe everyone out there, this can e a dangerous sport.

http://www.topix.net/content/trb/0667819396104975572728239054341013602029


Benjamin QB Kempe survives kite-surfing accident
Late Sunday afternoon, Benjamin quarterback Conner Kempe was airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center at West Palm Beach after suffering what looked to be life-threatening injuries in a kite-surfing accident.

'We were met at the door of the hospital by a chaplain -- they had given Conner his last rites,' said Joseph Kempe, Conner's father. 'With the hit to his head and the bleeding ... they said his life could have gone either way.'

Joseph Kempe and his family consider the events of the next 24 hours a miracle. After initially fearing death or paralysis and/or severe brain damage, Conner is expected to make a full recovery. Doctors say he could playing football in 4 to 6 weeks.

Kempe, a junior at Benjamin, was kite surfing along Jupiter Beach and Ocean Trail when a strong gust of wind picked him up and carried him 300 yards to the shore. He went through two metal fences, into a concrete pump cover, over a pole, into the back of a car and finally landed on a curb.

After being highly medicated for 24 hours, Kempe is breathing on his own. He did suffer a slightly bruised lung, a fractured kneecap and facial fractures that can heal without surgery.