Lucky Escape
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:45 am
A British skydiver has had a miraculous escape after he plunged 12,000 feet into a blackberry bush in New Zealand when his parachute apparently failed to open.
Michael Holmes, from Jersey, who is in his mid-20s, was videoing a group of other parachutists on the freefall when the cords of his parachute became entangled and he was unable to cut them free.
He landed in bushes at Five Mile Bay, just a few hundred yards from Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, sustaining lung injuries and a broken ankle.
Hamish Funnell, the manager of the Great Lake Skydiving Centre, which employs Mr Holmes as an instructor, told the Daily Telegraph that he was “doing very well but was still in hospital in Hamilton.
Mr Funnell had visited him and said that he found him “cracking jokes and hassling the nurses.
Mr Holmes has worked for the company, which is based in the tourist resort town of Taupo, since he arrived in New Zealand three years ago.
Mr Funnell declined to comment further on the incident, which is now subject to an inquiry by the New Zealand Parachute Industry Association. He said that he had never heard of anyone having a similar escape.
Emergency services were called by horrified onlookers who watched Mr Holmes crash into rough scrubland in a nature reserve, less than 100 yards from a car park.
He was unconscious when he was reached by ambulance staff, who first had to call the fire brigade to clear a path through thick brambles. A rescue helicopter flew him to the hospital.
Police said the fall was caused by a “parachute malfunction. It is understood that they are considering whether the main chute failed to open, sending Mr Holmes into a tailspin that caused him to black out.
Hugh Barclay, the quality assurance manager of Taupo Tandem Skydiving, said that Mr Holmes was equipped with a reserve parachute, which was standard practice, but he did not wish to speculate on what had happened.
John Siddles, a witness who was watching from a lookout spot as Mr Holmes descended with between eight and 12 other parachutists, said that he noticed one was in trouble.
"One of the skydivers coming down was going round and round, and he looked like he was all tangled up or something, he said, adding that it looked as though one of Mr Holmes’s parachutes had opened, but that it was hard to be sure.
Mr Siddles said that he and his son drove to the site where Mr Holmes landed, but other skydivers had things under control by the time they arrived.
Taupo, set in the North Island’s picturesque volcanic zone, is the busiest parachute aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere. It is hugely popular with overseas tourists wanting to try “extreme sports. Several skydiving companies operate from the airport.
In January 2003, a 25-year-old Welsh tourist was taken to hospital with serious leg and arm injuries after a skydiving accident there.
Michael Holmes, from Jersey, who is in his mid-20s, was videoing a group of other parachutists on the freefall when the cords of his parachute became entangled and he was unable to cut them free.
He landed in bushes at Five Mile Bay, just a few hundred yards from Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, sustaining lung injuries and a broken ankle.
Hamish Funnell, the manager of the Great Lake Skydiving Centre, which employs Mr Holmes as an instructor, told the Daily Telegraph that he was “doing very well but was still in hospital in Hamilton.
Mr Funnell had visited him and said that he found him “cracking jokes and hassling the nurses.
Mr Holmes has worked for the company, which is based in the tourist resort town of Taupo, since he arrived in New Zealand three years ago.
Mr Funnell declined to comment further on the incident, which is now subject to an inquiry by the New Zealand Parachute Industry Association. He said that he had never heard of anyone having a similar escape.
Emergency services were called by horrified onlookers who watched Mr Holmes crash into rough scrubland in a nature reserve, less than 100 yards from a car park.
He was unconscious when he was reached by ambulance staff, who first had to call the fire brigade to clear a path through thick brambles. A rescue helicopter flew him to the hospital.
Police said the fall was caused by a “parachute malfunction. It is understood that they are considering whether the main chute failed to open, sending Mr Holmes into a tailspin that caused him to black out.
Hugh Barclay, the quality assurance manager of Taupo Tandem Skydiving, said that Mr Holmes was equipped with a reserve parachute, which was standard practice, but he did not wish to speculate on what had happened.
John Siddles, a witness who was watching from a lookout spot as Mr Holmes descended with between eight and 12 other parachutists, said that he noticed one was in trouble.
"One of the skydivers coming down was going round and round, and he looked like he was all tangled up or something, he said, adding that it looked as though one of Mr Holmes’s parachutes had opened, but that it was hard to be sure.
Mr Siddles said that he and his son drove to the site where Mr Holmes landed, but other skydivers had things under control by the time they arrived.
Taupo, set in the North Island’s picturesque volcanic zone, is the busiest parachute aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere. It is hugely popular with overseas tourists wanting to try “extreme sports. Several skydiving companies operate from the airport.
In January 2003, a 25-year-old Welsh tourist was taken to hospital with serious leg and arm injuries after a skydiving accident there.
