GRAND HAVEN, MI -- A 33-year-old skydiver died during an event at the Grand Haven airport in what witnesses said was an accident as his parachute neared the ground.

The man was skydiving about 3:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17 during the an event called “Dink Dink Boogie” and sponsored by a jumping group called The Raw Dogs.

Organizers of the event said the skydiver was an experienced and licensed jumper. About 200 skydivers from around the country attended the event hosted by Skydive Grand Haven, a group based at the airport on Comstock Street, east of U.S. 31.

The skydiver was nearing the ground, about to make a landing, when he made a low turn near another skydiver and fell abruptly, organizers said.

Grand Haven police, in a statement issued late Saturday, said two skydivers were about to land close to each other and their parachutes may have collided, causing one to fall about 50 feet.

Scott Braginton of Grand Haven witnessed the fall.

He said the two skydivers were near each other and nearly collided or perhaps did collide. He saw the 33-year-old make a last-second maneuver to try to avoid the collision and it seemed as though his parachute lost support.

Braginton said he knew the injuries would be severe when he saw the fall.

“He hit the ground hard,” he said.

The skydiving event, which started Thursday and is scheduled to run through Sunday, is expected to resume once police complete their investigation.

Andrew Draminski, an organizer, said the skydivers understand the inherent risk in the sport. He knows some people may not understand the desire to continue the event this weekend.

"We are a tight-knit community and we want to be here for each other,” he said.

“We work hard to make it as safe as possible,” Draminski said.

He became emotional when he spoke about the skydiver. He said he met him only a couple of days ago.

“You get close to people very quickly,” he said.