Caught on Video: Woman and Instructor Injured in Freak Skydive Accident When Winds Take a Turn for the Worse
- Posted on May 17, 2012 at 11:03pm by
Liz Klimas
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Skydive instructor and a Montgomery County, Pa., woman suffered series injuries after strange winds twisted their parachute. (Photo: ABC News screenshot)
Marc Nadeau of the Keystone Skydive Center in Pennsylvania described the weather this past weekend as beautiful and well within the wind limits appropriate for skydiving. Still, the winds took a freakish turn when a woman, who was skydiving for the first time with an instructor, was only about 30 feet from the ground.
Instead of continuing to glide down, the wind changed and eventually debilitated their parachute from functioning properly. They were sent plummeting into the ground near Perkiomen Valley Airport in Collegeville.
The local ABC affiliate reports the woman, whose family asked she not be named, and the instructor with whom she was skydiving in tandem have serious injuries but are still expected to make a full recovery. According to reports, as they were descending, they were stopped by a strong updraft that shot them back up in the air where another wind twisted the parachute. Here’s more from Nadeau about what happened:
“Then, all of a sudden, the updraft stopped and the wind came from the side. It folded the parachute underneath and put the parachute into a spin. We landed hard on our side into the grass and were dragged into the runway. At that time the instructor was able to jettison, cut away, the main parachute to keep themselves from being dragged any further,” said Nadeau.
[...]
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, since I started jumping in 1973,” he said. “My wife, she’s been jumping since 1989, she’s never seen it.”
Like many who go skydiving for the first time, the woman opted to have video footage recorded. Instead of showing her adventuresome descent it shows a frightening display of what happened while she was in the air. Check it out in this ABC report:
The instructor, Chad Galbraith, injured his lower back and has already undergone two surgeries. The woman cracked some of her ribs and collapsed a lung.
[H/T Huffington Post]
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webdancer
Posted on May 24, 2012 at 12:04pmThis woman happens to be a friend of mine and many of your comments are in poor taste. She’s intellilgent, kind and loves life. Maybe if some of you had a life you wouldn’t feel the need to be so judgemental of others.
Report Post »SFsuper49er
Posted on May 20, 2012 at 7:03pmIf you go by the rule… “That whatever can happen will happen” People would be safer! Adventurous people don’t usually live long upon the earth and sometimes take other lives in there rescue … Watch the show… I shouldn’t be alive ! Everyone of them got hurt or killed trying to be adventurous … It’s depressing and sad !
Report Post »mharry860
Posted on May 19, 2012 at 11:35pmThe anchor Rick Williams seriously talks like that? Wow,I couldn’t take anymore than I was just subjected to. By the way, this is why you don’t jump out of a perfectly good airplane!
Report Post »pedlersam
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 7:50pmGrillmark 55, you and people like you is why the usa is so screwed up, keep up the good work da.
Report Post »pedlersam
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 7:45pmif you are going to show the video, show the video or don’t waste our time……………………
Report Post »blair152
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 5:59pmThis is why I don’t skydive.
Report Post »jcvillar
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 3:50pmWhere’s the rest of the video?
Report Post »politicianssuck
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:18pmBIKERR didn’t “expect” that did he? heheheheheheheheheheheheheh
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 8:01amHow can anything be called “freak” or unexpected when you fling yourself out of a perfectly good plane?
Report Post »politicianssuck
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 9:28amWhen you get into a car do you “expect” to get into a car accident? When you ride a bike do you “expect” to get a flat tire or get hit by a car or fall off of it? Dumb questions get dumb answers.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 10:05amYes, I expect all of those things. It’s only natural. Why else would you look both ways before crossing a street or wear a helmet when at bat while playing baseball? Dumb comments get easily blasted.
Report Post »bikerr
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 12:07pmI’m guessing here,but“ politicianssuck”–wasn’t expecting that reply from you.
Report Post »politicianssuck
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:17pmBet your first response when you get hit by a car is… Where did he come from? I did not even see him.
Sorry, but you don’t “expect” to be hit bay a car when driving. Especially when you look both ways and still get hit. That, My friend! IS UNEXPECTED!!
Nice try and Thoughtless remarks only dig deeper holes. toodaloo
Report Post »politicianssuck
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:42pmTo further Put to rest and prove my point…
When parachuting I am sure gusts of wind like that do happen, but not very often. Unexpected.
When you check and recheck your parachute and it still don’t open, even though it does happen but not often, that is unexpected.
When you jump out of a perfectly good plane you expect the parachute to open and you expect to land safely. When you don’t that is unexpected.
When driving a car and you hit a deer…Unexpected.
When you look both ways and get rear ended…Unexpected.
When you see a guy come to a stop sign you expect him to stop and he doesn’t that is….You guessed it, Unexpected.
I filled in your hole so don’t dig it deeper. It may start to fill up with koolaid.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on May 19, 2012 at 8:00amSorry I missed that. Next time don’t mumble so much. Catch ya later, Troll.
Report Post »politicianssuck
Posted on May 19, 2012 at 10:26amHA! When you lose a debate you start calling people trolls? It’s Okay. You cant win them all…Liberal.
Report Post »funjumper
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 7:48amNo video of the landing itself??? WTF
Report Post »ThePostman
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 5:07amNo pictures of her when she was 12 years old? How am I going to know if the skydiving company was at fault unless I can see some pictures of her as a teenager? We already know she was a female, so the violence against women act applies. Y’all help me put together these “wanted dead or alive” posters, mmmkay?
Report Post »Grillmark55
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 7:32amObviously the parachute company is run by a bunch of Republicans and this is part of their war on women.
Report Post »Cruelnunusual
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 5:02amWell, I have an iPhone, so naturally I can’t see the video. Don’t buy an iPhone.
Report Post »flsnipe
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 2:37amStill better than bouncing.
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:20amprayers for these 2 and the business owner. not a big fan myself of jumping out of airplanes, never quite understood why people think it’s fun. military folks are paid extra for this under the hazardous duty pay. not safe but alas I really hope this guy‘s business isn’t hurt and those 2 heal well.
Report Post »1proudAmerican
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 7:48amIt’s an experience you never forget and something I will definitely do again. Like all activities, it’s not for everyone. We aren’t stupid, just adventurous.
Report Post »Dishevel
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 10:53amFear is a blast, when it works out.
Report Post »The fear of leaping from an airplane, falling 150 feet into a net, jumping off a bridge tied to a rubber band.
All are the first time almost paralyzing. If you can get through that and survive the feeling after it is over is incredible and addictive.
HorseCrazy
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 12:06pmyes I like to be grounded. My mother did this and had the time of her life. I loved watching her…from the ground!!
Report Post »GdHUs
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:04amSo she wanted to add it to her bucket list huh? Well she went one better and almost kicked it too.
Report Post »webdancer
Posted on May 24, 2012 at 12:02pmShe happens to be a friend and your comment is in very poor taste. She’s an intelligent, sweet person who actually enjoys life – maybe you should get one and then you might not be so judgemental of others.
Report Post »GumRock
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 12:15am“Freak Skydiving Accident”,
Report Post »no good could come of that.
Eyeball
Posted on May 17, 2012 at 11:17pmThanks for wasting 3 minutes of my time. Why didn’t you show their landing? We only heard about 4 times how unusual it was. Show it.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 17, 2012 at 11:12pmThe Military… gets extra Jump Pay for the Risk & Danger of a Jump; Idiots do it for the Thrills!
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