Skydiver relives horror moment parachute failed 13,000ft over Northamptonshire airfield

"Everything that could go wrong did go wrong," says 24-year-old Megan
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Adrenaline junkie Megan Reeves has relived the horrific moment she crash-landed on a Northamptonshire airfield after her parachute failed during a skydive from 13,000 feet.

Megan had completed more than 300 jumps before the freak accident in 2019.

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The 24-year-old suffered a shattered pelvis, fractured lower spine and broken ribs, right tibia.

Air Ambulance medics flew seriously injured Megan Reeves to hospital in just 13 minutesAir Ambulance medics flew seriously injured Megan Reeves to hospital in just 13 minutes
Air Ambulance medics flew seriously injured Megan Reeves to hospital in just 13 minutes

She said: “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I went from being absolutely terrified to accepting that I was going to die, but thankfully I survived.

“I was unstable when I deployed my first parachute, the force of it opening yanked me upwards causing my spine to be pulled off my pelvis.

“This resulted in me not being able to use my arms properly, so I could not grab onto anything.

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“I was spiralling down at 60mph and as the first chute didn’t open properly, I needed to activate my reserve.

Megan had to learn to walk again following her horrific skydiving injuriesMegan had to learn to walk again following her horrific skydiving injuries
Megan had to learn to walk again following her horrific skydiving injuries

“But without the use of my arms I was unable to get my reserve parachute out until about 1,000ft above the ground by putting my whole arm through the handle and using my body weight to force it open.

"I hit the ground at around 50 mph, I was conscious and remembered being confused that I was alive.”

Staff in the watch tower at Hinton airfield near Brackley raised the alarm and the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance landed within 21 minutes of the 999 call.

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The flight to University Hospital Coventry for emergency treatment took just 13 minutes instead of nearly an hour by land.

The air ambulance critical care crew were concerned that Megan could be bleeding internally so she was put into a pelvic binder to help limit the potential blood loss.

She was given drugs to stabilise blood clotting and for pain relief, wrapped in a blizzard blanket, and put onto a scoop for the flight to Coventry.

Megan, from Tamworth, added: “I don’t think I would be doing the things I am today if it wasn’t for the air ambulance coming to me and flying me so quickly to the right hospital for my injuries.

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"I could not be more thankful for the service provided by this charity, and I believe I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the speed and hard work of the air ambulance crew."

Megan’s injuries left her needing to learn to walk again.

Yet, amazingly, she did a tandem skydive with a friend just over a year after the accident..

She added: “Skydiving is an extreme sport but there is very little risk really because of all the safety procedures put in place.

“However, when things do go wrong, they can be very high risk. I had a freak accident.

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“Before it happened, I was committed to skydiving and did up to eight in a day, but now I’m a little more relaxed and just do it when I feel like it.”

The Air Ambulance Service is the umbrella organisation for the Children’s Air Ambulance (a national transfer service for seriously ill children and babies), and two local air ambulances: Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

TAAS routinely carries senior doctors and consultants on board, in essence taking the hospital to the patient and allowing them to provide advanced treatment on scene yet receives no government funding and relies solely on fund-raising and donations to fund 1,800 rescue missions a year costing around £1,700 a time..

Anyone wishing to support the lifesaving charity can visit the TAAS website HERE or call 0300 3045 999.