The skydiver who crashed into the jumbotron at a college football game on Saturday has said he is lucky to be alive after escaping with only a shoulder injury.
Pasha Palanker, an army veteran, explained that an unplanned gust of wind took him off course from his anticipated arrival on the field for Virginia Tech’s spring game this weekend at Lane Stadium.
Palanker tried to steer himself away from landing on the crowd when another gust of wind took him into the scoreboard.
Now, reliving the moment in an interview on Good Morning America, he explained: ‘It happened so fast, it surprised all of us.
‘When I was approaching, everything looked fine and the wind picked up as I was getting into the stadium, picked up way above what is expected and it looked like I was going to land on the crowd, which could have been pretty dangerous.
‘As I was turning to try and go into that field, another wind shear came in and just slammed me into that jumbotron.
A parachutist was left dangling from the scoreboard after pre-game theatrics went wrong
The parachutist, Pasha Palanker, said a gust of wind nearly lead to a catastrophe
Palanker explained he was trying to avoid landing on the crowd when he hit the jumbotron
‘I was just really glad that the parachute was hanging on, whatever it was hung on. It was a long way down. It is not the first time that I walked away from something that I shouldn’t.’
Palanker was hanging there for about 20 minutes before emergency services were able to rescue him.
Virginia Tech officials said on social media on Saturday: ‘We are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being.
‘We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.’
This is the second time that a parachuting disaster has occurred prior to a football game this year, following an incident at the Armed Forces Bowl in January.
The scary scenes occurred shortly before kickoff in the Rice-Texas State game, where five parachutists were scheduled to land on the field.
According to video and reports from inside the stadium, only three safely landed where they were supposed to, with one ending up outside the stadium entirely.
It was the fifth jumper that caused the most horrifying scenes, though, as he flew straight into the field goal net cable, where his parachute immediately became tangled.
