Rodeo fans sat in silence Sunday afternoon following a skydiving mishap in the Calgary Stampede rodeo infield which left one member of The SkyHawks Military Parachute Team injured.
The SkyHawks performance, consisting of five skydivers, was part of the opening of Sunday’s rodeo events just before 2:00 p.m..
According to a SkyHawks official, the injured skydiver, a man in his mid-thirties, landed at the designated spot in the infield but he landed much harder than normal and was unable to return to his feet following the impact.
"He came in a little bit fast, and had a really hard, fast landing," says Cpt. Victor Mover, team captain of the Canadian Forces parachute team, the SkyHawks. "We're just waiting to hear what the medical assessment will be."
"He definitely is injured, the extent of his injuries remains to be seen."
EMS transported the skydiver to the Foothills in stable condition, but the injuries he suffered are being described as potentially life-threatening. The nature of his injuries has not been disclosed.
"It (skydiving) is a hazardous activity, one of the things we do as a demonstration team is we train," says Capt. Mover. "Thousands of jumps every season before the demonstration season even starts."
"Parachuting is about mitigating risk."
Members of the SkyHawks team say their fellow skydiver was in good spirits while being transported to an awaiting ambulance.
"We're still very excited to be at the Stampede, I know that the team member is still really excited to be here and I hope he doesn't have any serious injuries, and he recovers quick, and we look forward to meeting everyone over these next ten days.
