Texas Skydiver Survies Fall After Parachute Gets Stuck In His Wheelchair

A Texas man is on the mend after a skydiving accident nearly claimed his life on Friday, August 13.

Mike Vasquez is a skilled skydiver who was taking his last jump of the day at Skydive Spaceland Dallas in Whitewright, Texas, when something went terribly wrong after he left the plane. His parachute malfunctioned and became stuck in the tire of his wheelchair, which caused him to spin out of control while falling.

His backup parachute didn't work either.

“At that point I was kind of like well I’m coming in pretty hot, pretty fast. I was kind of just like freaking out and screaming all the way down like no this can’t be it, I thought I was gonna die,” Vasquez told KXII.

Amazingly, Vasquez's parachute opened just enough to slow his fall down to earth, which he called a miracle.

However, he hit the ground at 12 miles per hour. The impact shattered his femur and broke his spine in several places.

Vasquez is awake, talking, and posting updates about his recovery on social media despite being in pain.

This is the second time the 33-year-old has beat the odds. Vasquez is an Army veteran who was hit by a rocket propelled grenade while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, which is why he uses a wheelchair.

He told KXII that skydiving gives him a sense of freedom.

“I wanted to do skydiving for me to kind of like be free again. In the air I can be like everyone else, I can do everything like everyone else, I don’t need the use of my legs,” said Vasquez.