Skydiver falls from 9,000 feet, survives

Bs_logoImage
Press Trust of India New York
Last Updated : Dec 10 2013 | 7:13 PM IST
A skydiver fell from 9,000 feet after getting tangled in his parachute while doing a difficult stunt but has miraculously survived with broken bones and a head injury.
Victor Bryie, 27 of Winter Haven, Florida, had been attempting a Canopy Relative Work manoeuvre with another parachutist, Shaun Phillips, also 27 of the UK when the accident took place.
The crew manoeuvre is essentially when skydivers stack their parachutes.
Phillips told investigators both he and Bryie jumped at 14,000 feet. At 9,000 feet, Phillips was above Bryie and said Bryie came up under him too fast with an open chute. The parachute's lines entangled both men, WFLA-TV reported.
As they were falling, Phillip's chute was still open but Bryie's was completely "cocooned" in his lines.
Phillips managed to get himself free at about 3,000 feet, but Bryie was spinning horizontally while fully wrapped in lines and his parachute was only partially open.
"You can never be trained to fall through space with no parachute," Arch Deal, a veteran skydiver with more than 6,000 of them under his belt, said.
Polk County Sheriff's Office investigators said the accident happened yesterday afternoon.
County officials found Bryie where he landed near a fence. Bryie was taken by helicopter to a hospital with broken bones and a head injury. He was in serious but stable condition last evening.
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 10 2013 | 7:13 PM IST