Jordan Hatmaker, 35, was just ten jumps away from securing her skydiving licence when her parachute failed at 4,000ft over Suffolk, Virginia, in November 2021. As she hurtled towards the ground at around 70mph, she felt oddly calm. 'I do remember seeing the ground coming towards me really quickly and I thought to myself: “This is going to hurt,”' she said.
Hatmaker, a thrill-seeker who had never broken a bone before, had fallen in love with skydiving after a tandem jump in 2015. On the day of the accident, her brother brought her two dogs to watch but was told to leave them in the car. He warned her not to jump, saying the 'vibes were off', but she dismissed him as ridiculous.
The first jump of the day went smoothly. On the second ascent, she and her coach jumped separately and executed their planned drills perfectly. At 4,000ft, Hatmaker deployed her pilot chute, but it became wrapped around her leg in a 'horseshoe' malfunction. She tried to remove her shoe but had double-knotted the laces after losing a shoe on a previous jump.
Her reserve parachute deployed automatically, giving her a few seconds of control during which she steered away from a paved runway towards grass. However, her main parachute then inflated unexpectedly, and she believes she made a 'huge mistake' by not cutting it away. The resulting impact caused severe injuries, including a broken back, pelvis, and ribs.
Despite the ordeal, Hatmaker has since undergone a life-changing home makeover to accommodate her recovery. She remains positive, saying the accident has not diminished her love for adventure. 'I still want to fly,' she said.
