Skydiving instructor died three times and is paralysed for life after saving student when parachute malfunctioned
A hero skydiving instructor has recalled the decision to save his student during a parachute accident, which left him paralysed.
Malfunctioning equipment can be dangerous in most sports; but when you're jumping out of a plane, a mistake could prove to be fatal.
This is the exact situation that instructor David Hartsock found himself in, when a tangled parachute meant he had to make a terrifying decision.
While the thought of something going horribly wrong is likely at the forefront of a person's mind before skydiving, it's worth noting that fatal parachute accidents are rare, with law firm Stewarts reporting 39 fatalities in the UK between 2001 and 2020.
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The firm added that there was an injury risk of 0.5 per 1,000 jumps.
However, the unthinkable can, and does, happen, with Hartsock's story being a harrowing reminder of how dangerous extreme sports can be.
In 2009, Hartsock had been working as a skydiving instructor in Texas and had finished for the day when he was asked to take 54-year-old grandmother and first time jumper Shirley Dygert for a tandem jump from 5,000 feet.
Recalling the decision to take Dygert for her skydiving session on 1 August, he recalled in an interview with Inside Edition: "I was done. But one quick jump, it's easy."
Things would go horribly wrong for the pair once Hartsock pulled to release their parachute, with the canopy being completely twisted upon release.
After being unable to correct the malfunction in the air Hartsock was left with making a terrifying the decision on what to do next — and decided to do everything in his power to make sure that Dygert survived the accident.
Even if it meant at the expense of his own life.
"I figured we were both dead anyways, but we might as well try this," he explained. "At least one of us might survive.
"I'm thinking about trying to save her from dying in-front of her family."
Upon hitting the ground, Hartsock being unable to feel his right arm after Dygert asked if they could stand up before passing out. "That's the last thing I could remember," he said.
Dygert would survive the accident with a partial loss of function to the left kidney, later needing various spinal fusions over the years.
However Hartsock would suffer dislocated arms, collapsed lungs and numerous blood clots after taking the full force of the impact. He would also break the C4 and C5 vertebrae in his neck, leaving him paralysed for life.
"I found out later... apparently I died three times and they brought me back," he added.
Despite the extensive injuries, Hartsock doesn't regret his decision and has kept in contact with Dygert over the years.
"He saved me. I would be dead it wasn't for Dave," Dygert said in a 2010 interview with MailOnline. "I would be dead it wasn't for Dave. I had only known him for a few hours but what he did for me is unbelievable. I will never forget it. Never."
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Brenna Cooper