73-year-old Arizona man dies after parachute fails to fully deploy during skydiving jump
A 73-year-old Arizona man died Wednesday while skydiving with his friends after his parachute failed to fully deploy, local authorities said.
A 73-year-old Arizona man died Wednesday while skydiving with his friends after his parachute failed to fully deploy, local authorities said.
Terry Gardner, of Casa Grande, was on his third jump of the day with three friends and fellow skydivers around 12 p.m. local time when the incident happened, the Eloy Police Department said in a statement.
He and his group had planned a formation jump from an altitude of 14,000 feet but were unable to complete that formation (though police don’t believe this contributed to Gardner’s accident).
While other sky divers were able to land safely and without incident, when Gardner's parachute deployed, "unexpected complications arose" that resulted in a "hard landing without a fully deployed parachute," police said.
After landing, Eloy Fire District personnel responded and administered life-saving measures. Gardner was hospitalized, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Rating: 5