Skydiving accident

Use Facebook to login:

Well… I hate to sound like a total bitch; I’m not denying that it’s unfortunate what happened to him, but skydiving is so risky and as an instructor he knew these risks and what to expect when things go wrong so I don’t have too much sympathy. It does really suck, but he should be thankful he was born normal and able to experience many great things in life that some people who are born para/quadriplegic never get to experience. Still, to me it’s not much different to a heroin addict (since he’s an adrenaline junkie) who shoots up and then gets gangrene and has to have their arm amputated. Sure it sucks, but you knew it was a possibility. Many more unfortunate things happen to people all the time when they weren’t even going out of their way to find danger/excitement/thrills.

Does anyone know how his parachute opened up if he was paralyzed ?

This was not an instructor and student jumping together. At most a freefly coach [the one wearing the camera] with an experienced skydiver, they are doing a head-down skydive [which requires a lot of skill and practice]. Speeds of 150mph are achieved, and it looks like one skydiver got in the burble of another [blocking the air, think of drafting behind a truck]. Very unfortunate.
Most skydivers in the USA wear a device called an AAD [Automatic Activation Device] which measures the change in air pressure and the speed at which it occurs to determine when to fire [activate] the reserve parachute [somewhere at the 1500 feet].
Blueskies Brother

uhm…
this is taken from the guys youtube post.

“Added:  June 16, 2007
From:  llewlocsirhc
My accident 4/23/03. In this video I ... My accident 4/23/03. In this video I am the instructor. The camera is on the left side of my head. The points of contact were the top of my head and his ribs. I heard my neck break and, I was paralyzed instantly. The legs you see flopping around are mine. My emergency parachute opened around 700’. I was fully concious until hitting the ground. I have my own opinion of what happened. You make yours.”

“...I am the instructor.”
Not to play semantics, but he is using the term to describe what he is doing [coaching/teaching/instructing] not what he his [A USPA Instructor].
USPA Instructors have narrow parameters in the types of dive they do with students. Both of these jumpers are experienced skydivers.
The jumper with the camera had 1,500 skydives, he was coaching [instructing/teaching] another jumper.
While his reserve parachute may have opened at 700 feet, it would need to be deployed at least 500 feet before that. Parachutes do not open instantly [or at least there not supposed to] rather they inflate gradually to lessen the decelleration [sp?] forces.
Blueskies

ok,  you won im toooo drunk to tink at the momment brb

okay, you won