The Kairit family’s first visit to Las Vegas has not gone as expected.
Attracted by the Kenny Chesney concert at Sphere this weekend, patriarch Brant Kairit, 53, said he and his wife, son, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend arrived a few days early from their home in rural northern Mississippi to see what the city and its surrounding landscapes had to offer.
A hot air balloon ride at daybreak near Pahrump, Kairit thought, would give them the scenic views they were looking for.
But memories of sun-kissed desert vistas were quickly overshadowed by the balloon ride’s hard landing.
The balloon’s basket tipped while landing just before 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, resulting in an explosion near Stewart Valley Road by the California state line, according to Scott Lewis, director of Nye County Emergency Management and Pahrump’s fire chief. All 10 people aboard suffered varying degrees of injuries, he added.
Kairit said most of his party walked away with minor bruises and burns, but his wife, Elizabeth Kairit, 50, sustained broken bones in her nose and sternum as well as fractured vertebrae in her back and neck. She was still hospitalized at University Medical Center’s ICU as of Sunday night, he said.
“It was wonderful seeing the beautiful Nevada scenery, seeing wildlife below,” Kairit said. “It was really phenomenal until right there at the end when it wasn’t.”
Father recalls fiery landing scene
Kairit said the balloon was floating down to land when it struck the ground and bounced about 20 or 30 feet back into the air. The basket landed flat when it returned to the ground, he said, but it slowly tipped toward its side until the riders were thrown out.
The balloon’s burner was still active and made several spot fires nearby as Kairit said he struggled to escape from the basket that was now on top of him.
“Once I got out, there was smoke and fire and blood everywhere,” Kairit said. “I kind of checked to make sure that my family members were OK, and then I started trying to stomp out the fire.”
Kairit said he helped move his wife, Elizabeth Kairit, to a nearby van that was intended to pick them up from their balloon ride so she could make it to a hospital. He added that two women from New York and a couple from Germany were aboard the hot air balloon, along with a pilot from Vegas Balloon Rides, the company that provided the ride.
Vegas Balloon Rides did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
His family was supposed to fly back Sunday, Kairit said, but Elizabeth Kairit’s injuries have kept them in Las Vegas longer than they expected.
“She seems to be doing really well,” Kairit said of his wife’s recovery. “She was able to walk today.” He added that he’s hopeful she will be released from the hospital sometime this week.
For now, the five will remain in town at the Fontainebleau resort casino, where Kairit said staff extended their stay at a discounted rate through the end of the week.
As for the Chesney concert, he said everyone except Elizabeth Kairit got to see him perform live.
“It was phenomenal,” Brant Kairit said of Saturday’s concert experience. “I just wish it had been all of us (there).”
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
