A British man's skydiving adventure in Nevada nearly turned fatal when both parachutes failed, sending him and his instructor into a tailspin 11,000 feet above the desert. Mitchell Deakin, 25, from Lancashire, was left with severe injuries after crash-landing at roughly 40mph near Jean, south of Las Vegas, on Sept. 17, per the BBC. He was airlifted to a local hospital alongside his 54-year-old instructor, identified by a friend as Jiron Arcos Ponce, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. According to a police report released this week, a fellow instructor witnessed the main chute malfunction, prompting an attempt to deploy the backup—which also failed to open completely. The pair spiraled downward, unable to regain control, before hitting the ground.
Deakin—who'd been celebrating his birthday, per the New York Post—suffered a fractured pelvis, broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a kidney laceration, according to updates from his girlfriend and mother. He remains hospitalized in Nevada, where he has started to walk short distances with assistance but is expected to stay for several more weeks. Ponce remained in critical condition as of last week with unknown injuries. The Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the packing and deployment of the parachutes but says it does not determine the cause of such accidents. Meanwhile, Deakin's local pub back home is rallying support and an online fundraiser has raised $25,000 to help with his recovery. Despite the ordeal, friends say he remains upbeat and thankful for the outpouring of support.
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