It didn't take long for Gerardo Flores' 30th skydive to take a turn for the worst.
Flores had been training for two years at Skydive Monterey Bay School, but during a recent dive he was faced with a problem for which he was entirely unprepared. At 13,000 feet in the air, just seconds after he leaped from the plane, Flores' parachute burst open.
As you can see in the video below, Flores is quite confused by the sequence of events. And just a few seconds after his parachute burst open, Flores falls unconscious.
All told, Flores broke several of his ribs and lacerated his tongue in the fall. He was unconscious for two weeks.
An FAA report of the accident found several problems with Flores' parachute, and noted that the broken suspension lines should have been replaced before Flores' jump. In a statement issued to CBS San Francisco, Skydive Monterey Bay School said the parachute was in "proper working order" and the accident was caused by "improper use by the jumper."
