OUCH!! Freefall from 5000 feet.

1. Anthony
   March 26th, 2007 at 6:17 pm

   THAT NOT FREEFALL!

2. Aramax
   March 26th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

   The guy is so lucky to be alive. First time I saw that video one month ago I was thinking that he would have felt in the water at the last second somehow.

   He's so lucky to be alive.

3. Vexorg
   March 26th, 2007 at 6:48 pm

   At freefall, the water isn't going to be amy better than solid ground (in fact, the bushes he landed in probably broke his fall somewhat.)

4. Ali
   March 26th, 2007 at 8:14 pm

   Seeing it that he did the bushes probably did save his life absorbing most of the impact to keep him alive.

   With water he would have hit it like hitting a wall due to the surface tension.

   Lucky guy. Not as bad as the one video I saw of that fellow who base jumped off a power dam and fell all the way...jeez it was so painful afterwards...so much blood and screaming. Luckily he survived but with alot of broken bones to prove that it wasn't a good idea.

5. MrPumpernickel
   March 26th, 2007 at 8:20 pm

   Indeed not freefall, and it's obvious from the video that he's slowed down sufficiently enough for other skydivers with fully open parachutes to actually catch up to him somewhat.

   Saw a story about a guy a few years ago though who jumped and the parachute didn't open at all, nor did the reserve. He survivied by miraculously landing on a big metal grate that somewhat cushioned his fall (though he bounced a couple of times). He broke virtually every bone breakable and had massive internal damage, but survived.

6. Altidude
   March 27th, 2007 at 2:15 am

   Good grief, this has sure made the rounds. The guy is certainly lucky that he landed in something soft. But the media apparently haven't given a moment's thought to the meaning of the term "freefall." Freefall is what you're doing *before* deploying the parachute. That would be about 120mph, and no berry patch would save you.

   He had a spinning malfunction with two canopies out, a serious but not-unheard-of situation. What would really be interesting to know is why his main canopy didn't release.

7. bob
   March 27th, 2007 at 2:51 pm

   5000 feet? pfffft...

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Magee
   they even filmed it !
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lJTZUOKLfw (kinda special *ahem*)

   even girls can do it...
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovic

8. aj
   March 28th, 2007 at 4:44 pm

   the best thing is that he only broke a rib and he's a hot aussie

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