Worst injury after an OPENING?

[DanglesOZQld 0]

Had a friend fracture his Pelvis after a hell opening yesterday and was wondering what was the worst injury/ies you have suffered with an opening only??

(Not talking about landings or exits etc here.)

-Mark.

"A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

[Squeak 17]

Dixie Lee was talking about a guy who had his Aorta ripped from his heart today. I doubt it can get much worse than that
You'd be dead before you got to the ground

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[DanglesOZQld 0]

Yeah come to think of it I have heard of a fatal head down injury in the states when the reserve handle was accidentally dislodged......
Hell of a time for it to happen.

BSBD! -Mark.

"A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

[Kris 0]

I was on the DZ when a jumper broke his pelvis on opening. Personally, I've had my knee & hip wrenched on an opening that was hard enough to snap lines & blow out a cell on my Stiletto.

There have been a couple of fatalities that I know of from openings, one was an aortic tear, the other a broken neck.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[murrays 0]

I know of one broken femur.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[DanglesOZQld 0]

Not talking collisions re tracking etc - that was just on opening!?

BSBD! -Mark.

"A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

[skytash 0]

I know someone who broke her neck on a hard opening. Mind you this was many years ago under a round. She stopped jumping after that, both her kids jump and I'm friends with her daughter. She had no spinal cord damage, so limited long term effects. It did freak her out a bit!

Another friend of mine broke her sternum on opening...

tash

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[Texas_Diver 0]

I've only had two tandem jumps so I don't yet know anything about this.

OMG...Are these injuries from the canopy opening????

I felt a big tug when it opened both times but not hard enough to rip out my aorta or to break any bones.

Can someone please explain?? (Remember to use simple terms...I'm a newbie!)

[skytash 0]

the parachute is packed so that it opens relatively slowly, so the overall time it takes to decelarate you from your freefall speed to your under-canopy speed isn't too fast. Sometimes it can be fast and the sudden stop you come to can give whiplash (how the neck was broken) or other sudden movements of your body against the harness.

Hence people often preferring 'snively' canopies that take a little longer to open than others.

tash

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[Rookie120 0]

Damn, some of these guys got messed up. I thought getting a nut under the leg strap was bad but thats nothing compared to these.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[MB38 0]

I've seen BASE canopies open in as little as 150' from terminal. I can't imagine that's too fun.

I saw a video of a guy at a freefly competition whose reserve handle was accidentally pulled whilst in a head-down position. Watching the video, it's hard to imagine that a person can change directions that quickly and survive... but he only had a few broken ribs.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[jimshred 0]

Please excuse my inexperienced question but it seems to me a fractured pelvis is a very odd injury to get on canopy opening. It seems very very rare.

I can understand whiplash type injuries. Or even a dislocation injury like a femur getting separated from the hip socket. But that would require a really really hard opening.

Are these types of injuries more common with high performance canopies? Or are they just as likely possible with bigger more docile canopies like student canopies?

Also, I work-out at the gym a lot (I'm not a big muscle dude though). Would such activity help prevent such injuries? I would think that having stronger tendons or whatever could help prevent such injuries.

Once again, please excuse my questions, if I am diverting from the main discussion here then just ignore me.

Thanks.

______________________________________
"Find your passion, find that thing you love, and, well, get out there and do it" - Jeb Corliss

[kelel01 1]

The femur was defintely on opening - on a hop-n-pop (although he might have reached terminal). It was on a Sabre2, I think at Skydive Chicago. Check the incidents forum.

[Rookie120 0]

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I've seen BASE canopies open in as little as 150' from terminal. I can't imagine that's too fun

I believe that would suck a little bit. Like I said I had one of the boys under my leg strap and they heard me scream from about 3,000ft.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[MB38 0]

Quote

Quote

I've seen BASE canopies open in as little as 150' from terminal. I can't imagine that's too fun

I believe that would suck a little bit. Like I said I had one of the boys under my leg strap and they heard me scream from about 3,000ft.

A loose leg strap led to a ball-under malfunction on my second jump. Both of my instructors asked me about the yelling once I was on the ground.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[FrEaK_aCcIdEnT 0]

every jump ive made i quadrouple check my leg straps and even ask my instructors about 3 times to avoid this dreaded mal. im paranoid about it!

"are u sure these are tight enough?"

ExPeCt ThE uNeXpEcTeD!
DoNt MiNd ThE tYpOs, Im LaZy On CoRrEcTiOnS!

[Kris 0]

Quote

Or even a dislocation injury like a femur getting separated from the hip socket. But that would require a really really hard opening.

From what I remember, it definitely wasn't a dislocation injury. The femur was broken. It was theorized that the legstrap had slipped down a bit before opening.

As for the pelvis injury I also mentioned, this was an AFF student on their first hop & pop. They froze up a bit, went head down, and deployed that way. It was a clean wish-bone break to the front and the side. It was such a mess, they couldn't operate on him for 5 days as they were awaiting a specialist to come to the hospital to do it as none of the orthopods there wanted to touch it.

What's amazing is that the student still flew a pattern and landed right in front of the hangar, sliding in his landing.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[jtlmd 0]

I would be very curious to know the details of the case where someone had "the aorta torn from the heart" secondary to a hard opening. Do you have any details on this ?

James T. Lee, MD
Saint Paul MN

[Kris 0]

Click on the search button at the top of the page and do a search on "Aorta" in the Incidents forum.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[jtlmd 0]

Thanks. Very interesting looking through the many comments. Seems that many folks are confusing aortic dissection with aortic rupture. They are not the same thing by any means. I saw one comment by a poster who opined that a dissection would "kill you instantly". Not necessarily. Pretty interesting how often the word "aorta" shows up in the forum search engine output.

JT Lee MD
Saint Paul MN

[mr2mk1g 10]

Well there's a recent thread in the incidents forum regarding an unfortunate individual who has been left a quadriplegic from a hard opening: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1744335#1744335

[dayle 0]

Well, I had a hard opening that compressed my T8 Vertabrae. The exact diagnosis was a 20% wedge compression fracture.

This was just a hard opening on believe it or not, a stiletto.

Dayle

[jimshred 0]

Quote

As for the pelvis injury I also mentioned, this was an AFF student on their first hop & pop. They froze up a bit, went head down, and deployed that way. It was a clean wish-bone break to the front and the side. It was such a mess, they couldn't operate on him for 5 days as they were awaiting a specialist to come to the hospital to do it as none of the orthopods there wanted to touch it.

This is a tragic story. I hope the person is ok and is walking fine now.

I have been thinking about this. *warning: newbie question/idea again* I am not totally familiar with the whole container/harness system but it seems to me if there had existed a strap across the waist line(like a belt) then such an injury would have been prevented. By having a belt like strap the forces would be more evenly distributed and counter-act the leg strap force that broke this persons pelvis.

Does this make sense or am I just full of it ?

______________________________________
"Find your passion, find that thing you love, and, well, get out there and do it" - Jeb Corliss

[EricaH 0]

My friend has 2 compressed vertabrae & a buldging disc from a hard opening on a cobalt. She's been in PT for over 2 months & has another one or 2 to go!
Her helmet flew off her head on opening.

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[freelyflyn71 0]

In Reply To:
I believe that would suck a little bit. Like I said I had one of the boys under my leg strap and they heard me scream from about 3,000ft.
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That's got me thinkin'...maybe briefs instead of boxers...or go to the extreme...jock strap! Gotta keep the boys safe 'n happy!

The Braver the Bird...The Fatter the Cat.