It seemed like an ordinary skydiving day for Christopher Jones, who was midway through a class. But what he did not expect was to lose consciousness — midair.
The first attempt to grab the seizing diver was unsuccessful
But the jumpmaster knew better than to just give up on the first try
The guy who bravely chased after the free-falling Jones is jumpmaster Sheldon McFarlane. But he refused to take credit, saying he was never worried that Jones would hit the ground without a parachute.
Successful rescue at 4,000 ft
If he was hadn’t been able to manually pull the rip cord, the computer chip inside the suit would have automatically fired the chute at a preset altitude. Still, he refused to not do anything: “I thought it would be better to get him under parachute earlier than later.”
Jones has not had a seizure for the past 4 years and his treating specialist cleared him to take skydiving lessons. But after the incident, he has to find another hobby.
“At around 9000ft I have a seizure while attempting a left hand turn,” he said, “I then spend the next 30 seconds in free fall unconscious. Thankfully my jumpmaster manages to pull my ripcord at around 4000ft. I become conscious at 3000 ft and land safely.”
Watch the dramatic event unfold in the video below:
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