PINJARRA, Australia — A man who suffered a mid-air seizure during a skydiving jump was rescued by a fellow skydiver who opened his parachute.
Christopher Jones, 22, lost consciousness in the middle of his jump. Dramatic footage of the fall was captured by a helmet camera worn by skydiving instructor Sheldon McFarlane, who was able to grab hold of Jones and pull open his parachute, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Jones regained consciousness before hitting the ground and made a controlled landing. He was not injured and no ambulance was called.
Jones was at an advanced stage of a training program to become a licensed jumper, but was not allowed to complete the program. He has epilepsy, but his doctor approved him to skydive, West Australian Skydiving Academy chief instructor Robin O’Neill said.
“Traditionally, we do not entertain people with epilepsy to learn how to skydive,” O’Neill said. “Christopher got through our screening process because he had a letter from his treating specialist that specifically said his condition was under control and she considered him fit to skydive.”