Triathlete Says She Was Knocked Out Of Race By Out-Of-Control Drone

A drone flies at the Abbaye Des-Vaux-de-Cernay, southwest of Paris, Thursday March 20, 2014. French drone operator Jean-Luc Fornier operated the remote controlled drone used to used to transmit live video of snowboar... A drone flies at the Abbaye Des-Vaux-de-Cernay, southwest of Paris, Thursday March 20, 2014. French drone operator Jean-Luc Fornier operated the remote controlled drone used to used to transmit live video of snowboard and ski jump competitions at the Sochi Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Bertrand Combaldieu) MORE LESS
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An athlete said a drone fell out of the sky and hit her in of the head as she was running a triathlon Sunday in Western Australia.

Competitor Raiji Ogden told Australian news outlet ABC that the drone hit her in the back of the head and knocked her to the ground early on in the running portion of the race. She said she sustained a number of injuries requiring stitches for which she was taken to the hospital.

The drone belonged to a local videographer, Warren Abrams, who was filming the triathlon when he lost control of the device. Abrams told ABC a conflicting account: his video footage shows the drone actually dropped behind Ogden, he said, and he suggested someone had “channel hopped” his device, a form of hacking that takes control away from the operator.

Abrams and his business weren’t on a list of operators certified to use unmanned aircraft, according to ABC. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority was investigating the incident.

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