Man sentenced to 30 days in prison for accidentally hitting woman with his drone

Proceed with caution, drone pilots.
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 
Man sentenced to 30 days in prison for accidentally hitting woman with his drone
A man using his drone outdoors in front of a lovely sunset. Credit: aslysun/SHUTTERSTOCK

Attention drone operators: Watch your aim with those things or you could end up in behind bars.

Yeah, we're serious. Paul Skinner, a 38-year-old Seattle man who accidentally knocked a woman unconscious with his drone back in 2015 has received a 30-day prison sentence along with a $500 fine, after being charged with reckless endangerment back in January.

When Skinner, an aerial photographer, flew his two pound, 18-by-18 inch drone -- which retailed for $1,200 -- into a crowd of people at 2015 Seattle Pride Parade, it accidentally fell on top of a 25-year-old woman's head, knocking her out.

While Judge Willie Gregory of the Seattle Municipal Court did recognize the crash was purely accidental, Skinner's punishment was reportedly dealt due to the fact that he knowingly "engaged in conduct that put people in danger of being injured..."

The woman, who suffered a concussion, along with another man who sustained a minor injury from the drone, testified at the trial, and an additional hearing has been set for May to determine how much money Skinner owes for medical treatment costs.

According to The Seattle Times, Skinner's lawyer, Jeffrey Kradel, feels the punishment is far too severe for the accidental action, and believes authorities are attempting to make an example out of Skinner to scare other drone users.

While there have been various drone-related misdemeanors over the year, including a drone that recently crashed into a Manhattan apartment, this incident is believed to be the first resulting in prison time.

Proceed with caution, drone owners.

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Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

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