Two men in Zephyrhills were seriously injured Tuesday after a skydiving accident in which they collided in midair.
The men, who are both experienced skydivers, had a free-fall collision, according to Skydive City, where the incident took place.
After the collision, one skydiver landed just inches from busy County Road 54, about 4 miles from the intended drop zone in front of a mobile home park. A spray-painted arrow now marks the ground where he landed.
“We’re sitting here on our porch, and one of them yelled for me to turn," resident Pat Bila said. "When we turned, I saw his yellow chute come open, and he came down real quick.”
Bila and her friends rushed over to help.
“He was laying out this way with his feet kind of spread out. He was using his hands and trying to move his head and stuff like that,” Bila said.
At last report, the skydiver who landed near C.R. 54 is in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital.
According to Skydive City, the two skydivers were attempting a formation from 14,500 feet up.
“These guys were doing a fun jump, four of them,” said David “TK” Hayes, president and general manager of Skydive City. “Shortly after the exit of the airplane in their wing suits, they had a free-fall collision of some kind, pretty high speed impact by the sound of it.”
The other skydiver, who landed in the drop zone at Sky Dive Lane, is listed in serious but stable condition.
“One of them was most likely incapacitated or knocked unconscious," Hayes said. "He wasn’t able to activate his main parachute, but he has an automatic activation device on his reserve which deployed his parachute at a pretty low altitude."
The skydivers' names have not been released. Skydive City said one man is from Canada, while the other is from South Florida.
“I just hope and pray he’s able to walk again,” Bila said of the man who landed near the mobile home park.