Experienced skydiver Holly Wiffen has described the extraordinary moment she survived a fall of roughly 10,000 feet after being knocked unconscious during a jump.
The 35-year-old dental therapist was left fighting for her life when another parachutist accidentally struck her in the head during a high-speed descent.
The impact rendered her unconscious, leaving her unable to control her fall or immediately deploy her parachute.
Despite the severity of the accident, Wiffen survived and is now recovering at her parents’ farm after spending time in hospital.
Mid-Air Collision Sends Her Into Freefall
Wiffen, who had completed 425 jumps before the accident, was skydiving with a group of around eight other people on August 7.
The group had jumped from an aircraft into clear skies and were using a technique known as tracking, where parachutists travel horizontally through the air while building speed.
As the jumpers separated, another skydiver accidentally collided with Wiffen at around 12,000 feet.
The impact, reportedly occurring at approximately 100mph, sent debris flying and left Wiffen unconscious.
She then began falling rapidly toward the ground at speeds of around 150mph.
Fellow Jumpers Tried To Reach Her
Other members of the group appeared to realise that something had gone seriously wrong and attempted to follow Wiffen as she plunged downward.
One skydiver tried to reach her but could not get a secure grip.
He eventually had to deploy his own parachute at around 3,000 feet.
Wiffen subsequently disappeared from the camera’s view, leaving some of the other jumpers fearing that she had not survived the fall.
The experienced parachutist has no memory of the descent itself.
She later said the experience seemed like a dream in which she was still skydiving.
Emergency Parachute Finally Deploys
Although Wiffen cannot remember pulling the ripcord, she believes it happened at approximately 1,000 feet above the ground.
Her emergency parachute deployed, but the situation remained extremely dangerous.
A secondary chute was triggered because the system detected that she was still travelling too quickly and was at an extremely low altitude.
The two parachutes combined to create what is known as a ‘downplane’ effect, causing Wiffen to descend at roughly 40 to 50mph.
With the ground rapidly approaching, there was little room for anything to go wrong.
A Tree May Have Saved Her Life
Wiffen’s fall ended when she crashed into a conifer tree standing amid a large expanse of open fields.
The tree absorbed much of the force of the impact and significantly softened what could otherwise have been a fatal collision with the ground.
She ultimately landed hundreds of feet away from the intended landing area.
Her reserve parachute became caught in the tree while she remained on the ground waiting for other skydivers to locate her through dense brambles.
Serious Injuries But A Remarkable Survival
When Wiffen regained consciousness, she discovered that her left leg had been badly broken and was positioned unnaturally.
She was placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital, where she underwent surgery six days after the accident.
She also suffered a spinal fracture but survived injuries that could easily have proved fatal.
Reflecting on the incident, Wiffen acknowledged just how fortunate she had been.
She said that without the tree, she believes she would have struck the ground at a speed that would almost certainly have killed her.
Determined To Return To The Sky
Despite everything that happened, Wiffen has not been put off skydiving.
The thrill-seeker, who also enjoys motorcycling and rock climbing, says she wants to return to the sport as soon as her recovery allows.
She admits, however, that knowing how close she came to dying has made her somewhat nervous about jumping again.
Her determination nevertheless remains strong, with the experienced parachutist already looking forward to getting back into the air.
Experts To Examine The Accident
Skydiving expert Allan Hewitt said the incident would be investigated.
He noted that collisions between parachutists are rare, making the circumstances surrounding Wiffen’s accident an important matter for examination.
For now, Wiffen remains focused on recovering from her injuries after surviving one of the most extraordinary accidents of her skydiving career.
