Sept. 29--Skydiver Erik Lars Roner, an MTV extreme athlete, was killed Monday when he flew into a tree during a charity golf event show Monday morning, authorities said.
Roner, 39, of Tahoe City, Calif., was part of a team doing a performance for a charity golf tournament when he hit a tree and became entangled about 9:45 a.m., the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.
Roner was pronounced dead at the scene; all other skydivers landed safely, officials said.
The Sacramento Bee reported the accident appeared to have occurred during the fourth annual Squaw Valley Institute's Celebrity Golf Tournament.
An investigation into the accident is ongoing, and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified, sheriff's officials said.
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Roner is a professional skier, BASE jumper and a member of the extreme sports Nitro Circus Crew, which was featured on MTV.
Witnesses described the accident.
"He hit a tree... he hit a tree so hard. I don't know what happened from there," Roy Tuscany, founder of the Lake Tahoe-based High Fives Foundation, told Teton Gravity Research.
Friends said thoughts immediate turned to his family.
"That's the most important thing that needs to resonate amongst everyone," Tuscany told Teton Gravity. "That Erik had an amazing family -- two beautiful, beautiful kids and an amazing wife."
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.
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UPDATE
5:41 p.m.: Updated with details from witness.
This post was originally published at 4:29 p.m.
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