Debbie Williams skydiving incident
Debbie Williams (c.1956) is an American teacher from Post, Texas who was involved in a famous skydiving incident on April 18, 1987 in Coolidge, Arizona.
Incident
On April 18, 1987, while skydiving with a group of people, Williams collided with fellow parachuter Guy Fitzwater at 9,000 feet and was knocked unconscious. Instructor Gregory Robertson, seeing her falling to her death, dove toward her, and caught up with her at 3,500 feet, ten seconds from impact; he pulled her rip cord at 2,000 feet, saving her life. She suffered a skull fracture, broken ribs, and an injured kidney, but survived. The incident received wide attention[1][2] with Robertson receiving many awards and the event itself being reenacted on episodes of Rescue 911 and It's a Miracle.[3][4] It was also listed for years in The Guinness Book Of Records as the lowest midair rescue ever.[5]
References
- ^ Skydiver saves life at 3,500 feet in the sky, Associated Press in The Bonham Daily Favorite, 24 April 1987
- ^ "A Miraculous Sky Rescue", TIME, 4 May 1987.
- ^ Zuckerman, Faye; "Action's real on 'Rescue 911'", Wilmington Morning Star, September 5, 1989. Accessed January 22, 2016
- ^ "It’s A Miracle Episode 117: Parachute Rescue; Hit and Run Angels; Football Player Lives; God Was My Co-Pilot; Left at Sea", Questar Video. Accessed January 22, 2016
- ^ McFarlan, Donald; McWhirter, Norris (1991-03-01). Guinness Book of World Records, 1991. Bantam. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-553-28954-1. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
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