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Oh 'chute': Skydiver's terrifying plunge to earth

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    Only minor injuries after 3-minute fall

  • Duration 3:54
  • Date

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Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Imagine this plummeting 8000 feet -- parachute just doesn't open.

It hit the ground at thirty miles per hour this happens to this skydiver that you see right here amazingly he lived through the nightmare.

-- only suffered minor injuries.

His name is Craig Stapleton he is the survivor.

That terrifying plunge and he joins us now Craig that is just that is unbelievable can you tell us what happened.

My from my teammate and I Katie Hanson were doing a flag job.

Well -- Spanish flag between two start errors and flight straight down with our parachutes open.

And at one point the flag actually and entangled with my equipment and -- repairs should malfunction.

And eventually once I got -- of the flag rarely used and was working with that I -- my main parachute wouldn't release and at some point I had actually fire my reserve parachute into my main in and -- -- -- in that way.

And credit we were watching the your -- -- freefall basically hear what was going to head.

That if I survive is all his -- and are going to be doing anything fun for a long long time.

They hit it thirty miles an hour we said and how do you only survived but how do you only walk -- -- minor injuries what happened legs break anything like that.

No actually I did -- literally have no broken bones a lot of bruises are really getting colorful now.

But.

Training you fall back in the training to do parachute landing fallen and rolled through the impact and absorb the shock there was many places in your body.

Wear a helmet and I happened also land in the softest plowed field anywhere around the room you're jumping.

That's amazing now you we should say your professional so you have how many jumps do you think you have under your belt.

-- just over 7000 jumps in the first time this has ever happened.

Absolutely and hope it's the last episode is so this happens you could've landed a parking lot in Atlanta and on the telephone pole but she landed in a freshly plowed field or -- soft.

Piece of -- how has this affected your outlook on life did you go to church the next week.

I haven't -- a -- yet.

That I have -- lottery tickets -- kind of feel but the bag elect is empty but I sure did enjoy the sun -- the next morning it was really a nice one.

He can hammer -- -- we should mention this only happened last Sunday you haven't had a lot of chance to go to church actually yet.

But you.

I mean.

From other people who love skydiving a lot people on our staff have done this here is is didn't risky -- -- something you just had a bad string of luck.

All happen -- once.

It's a number of things and -- it's a very complex -- and and both Katie and I together have over 101000 skydive so.

Where we know we're taking on a risky -- we knew there are some things that could really create a problem and and you know it's not your normal job if somebody goes -- to the drop -- does -- tandem they're not going to be exposed to this kind of danger at all.

We knew we are taking a little more risk than the average skydive.

So any lessons you walk away next time from this is there anything that you in parts to your fellows skydiving partners from this experience.

What I always tell a lot of people I work -- this is don't ever give up no matter how bad your situation is.

No matter how bad things look -- you've got to keep fighting.

All the way to the ground because -- basically fighting for your life.

So others would say just get back on the horse you say just jump out of a plane again.

That's just -- And -- this is not -- got your job but again.

Yeah Israel opened the jump bike today but I think it's probably going to be missed next week before -- -- -- actually take a little time.

You know we are at -- and a lot of not.

For example that thanks so much for Jerry your personal story of -- you have a -- we bring him.

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