From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, August 15:
Woman, 30, fell more than 1,500 metres before crashing into trees, witnesses say
The parachuting accident occurred at Parachutisme Adrénaline on Saturday
in Trois-Rivières, Que. (Radio-Canada)
Denis Demers is still processing what he witnessed on Saturday evening in Trois-Rivières, Que., when a skydiver's parachute failed to open properly as she plummeted a kilometre and a half to the ground.
"It's a miracle," Demers told Radio-Canada on Wednesday. "I don't know how a person can survive a fall from an airplane like that."
He said the solo skydiver was falling faster than anybody else, and neither the woman's main parachute nor backup chute opened.
The 30-year-old, who hit trees while landing in a wooded area, is recovering in hospital with several fractures, including broken vertebrae, but police say her life is not in danger.
She was participating in a jump at the skydiving facility Parachutisme Adrénaline, located near the airport. The company refused to comment because an investigation is underway.
The woman had experience skydiving, according to Trois-Rivières police, who are investigating to determine if this is a case of criminal negligence.
Océane Duplessis was about to board a different plane for her own jump when the accident happened.
"We watched all the way to the end. We kept hoping something would happen," she said. "We were very worried. Very."...MORE
Yeah, that'll get the old adrénaline pumping.
Let's hear it for the survivors.
